The Little Drummer Girl
by kezztip
Summary: After Hyde rejects Jackie's advances, she decides to prove to Hyde that she is no square and finds a more effective method than buying pot.Using a hidden skill no one knows she has, she will become Hyde's most badass fantasy ever and he won't even know it
1. The Square Peg

Title: Little Drummer Girl

Disclaimer: Don't own, ain't getting paid – that goes for all the chapters

Pairing: J/H

Summary: Set at the end of Season 2 – Jackie is looking for a way to prove to Hyde that she is no square and finds a more effective method than buying pot.

LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL

It was your average Friday night down at the Hub. Fez and Kelso were trying unsuccessfully to hustle Leo at Foosball and Hyde was sitting at a table curling his lip at their stupidity, occasionally reading his comic book. Just as he was basking in the absence of the girl who had been as closely attached to him lately as a boil and about as welcome, she walked in through the door.

"Ohhh Steven," Jackie cried happily. "I'm SO glad you're here."

Hyde continued reading. "Jackie, please. I'm right in the middle of Smokey and the Band-Aid okay?"

This was less than the undivided attention Jackie felt her beauty deserved. Still, Steven was allowed some leeway seeing as how he put the loof in aloof so she decided to roll with it.

"Okay fine. But… I signed us up for roller-disco lessons at Skateworld tonight. Class starts in half an hour so we better hustle." Hyde stared at her. "You get it? Hustle?"

Hyde set down his comic. "Okay, let me explain something to you. On Friday nights, I don't roller-disco. I go out looking for roller-discoers to punch in the head."

"Okay fine, we won't roller disco. We'll do anything you want."

Hyde sighed. He might have known Jackie's skin was too thick for broad hints and cutting insults to penetrate. Time to get brutal.

"No we won't. Look man, you and I, don't have anything in common. You're like, a square you know. A cheerleader. So just roller-disco on out of here okay?"

Jackie was hurt by his complete dismissal of her. "Fine. Fine, I guess I'm not cool enough to hang out with you anymore."

"Now you're getting it."

The sickeningly familiar sensation of rejection washed over Jackie. To think, until her break up with Kelso this had been an unknown emotion to her. Then it started coming thick and fast. It began when her first boyfriend would vow eternal love to her face but make out with whorey Laurie behind her back – that still smarted. Then in her hurt she had tried to rebound onto Steven, whom she had always felt strangely drawn to. She would never forget the look of horror on his face when she had tried to kiss him. Those four terrible words he had uttered – I don't like you – had been a hell of a blow to her belief in herself as the greatest thing since hot rollers. She had taken solace in his assurance that he thought she was hot when she didn't talk. When she had thanked him for this bone thrown to her ego, there had been something about the twinkle in his eye when he had said "Anything for you, doll," that had given her new hope that perhaps he liked her more than he realised himself. It was not until he taught her his zen that she really felt maybe his judgment of her could be reversed. And she found she very much wanted him to have a high opinion of her, especially since he was fast becoming the most important person in her life. But now her dream of roller-boogieing into Steven's heart was dying because she wasn't cool enough for him.

"You know what Steven, you think you know me, but you don't. You don't know me at all!" Jackie stated angrily, flouncing out of the diner.

Hyde was not moved. "I know you like unicorns, soooo bye bye."

Jackie strode down the main street of Point Place, hands shoved in pockets and face frowning in anger at Steven and disgust with herself. _That does it_, she promised herself. _No more making an ass of myself over guys who aren't worth my spit. If Steven's too dumb to realise I am the dream of his lonely orphan heart come true, then he's not worth my time._ An empty soda can was so foolhardy as to lie in her path; Jackie lined it up and kicked it so hard and far that if she had her pom poms she would have cheered her own goal. The act of aggression had felt good, reminding her there was a more satisfying release for her anger available. But no, that was not an option. She had promised herself the last time she had to stop doing it, knowing if anyone found out her reputation would be shot. Still, after what just happened, these were special circumstances – one more time wouldn't make a difference. Looking around surreptitiously to make sure no-one was watching her, she slipped down an ordinary suburban street to a standard three bed fibro home. With satisfaction she noted a light showing under the garage roller door. Any doubts that something was happening behind that door were put to rest when sounds like a cat being put through a laundry wringer came screeching through. Staying in the shadows as much as possible, she quickly pulled the door up and slipped into the garage.

"Well, look who's finally come crawling back," drawled a skinny teenager, putting down the guitar he was tuning.

"Yeah, yeah, I know my visit has made your day. I felt it was wrong of me to deprive you of the sunshine of my presence for much longer. But Trev, this has to be the last time."

Trevor laughed sardonically. "Of course. Each time is always the last time. When are you going to admit you're hooked, Blue?"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that," Jackie said, but her words had no bite – her eyes were distracted by something sitting in the corner of the garage that was pulling her in like a tractor beam.

"Would you prefer Beulah?" Trevor offered slyly. Jackie frowned forbiddingly at him, but tacitly allowed the nickname derived from her despised middle name.

"Whatever," she said, drawing on her zen lessons. "Sooo… where are they?"

"Why, what could you be referring to," Trev asked innocently. When Jackie advanced on him with her get-ready-to-clutch-your-shins-in-pain expression, he magically produced a pair of drumsticks from behind his back. "Is this what you were after?"

Without a word, Jackie grabbed the sticks and took her place behind the drum set that had been calling to her from three blocks away. She took a moment to savour the feel of the smooth wood between her fingers and then broke into a single stroke which soon graduated into a buzz roll. Faster than the eye could follow the beaters pounded on her old friends – the double bass, the snares, the floor tom and the hi-hat cymbals. With each stroke her anger seeped out of her troubled soul and into her playing and was finally exorcised with a fortissimo drum solo "wipeout". Panting slightly, she became aware of Trevor's slow handed applause.

"Whoa, Blue, I'd hate to be the guy who pisses you off," he said with a low whistle.

"Well, you're certainly a contender, dweeb," Jackie answered, catching her breath. With foreboding she felt something trickle down the side of her forehead. _Oh please, let the roof be leaking in this rathole_, she prayed. Unfortunately, the leak was purely self-generated. Wiping the sweat droplet away, she groaned as she remembered the main reason she had banned herself from this forbidden pleasure – it made her sweat. She considered throwing the evil drumsticks far from her and running away into the night to hide her shame but Trevor started up a tricksy little guitar tune that was just begging for a backbeat to bring it home. Before she knew it she was drawn into the music and all thought of her appearance was lost. Three hours later her blouse was soaked in perspiration, her hair was plastered wetly to her head and she had not felt so utterly at peace in weeks.

"So," Trevor said, handing her a can of soda. "what have you been up to?"

As Jackie launched into a description of the clothes she had bought, the hairstyles she had experimented with and the pressures of cheerleading, he listened with only half an ear. He always got a kick out of watching Jackie transform from an uptight pristine girl into a sweat-soaked kick-ass drummer. It was ironic how she was convinced the moisture made her hideous, when it fact it only made her sexy. He noted she was winding down from her diatribe – now that he had feigned an interest in her life, it was time to come to the point.

"So Blue, what would you say if I asked you to join my band?"

…………………………………..

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Let me offer my apologies right now to anyone who knows the first thing about drums – I'm flying by the seat of my pants using an internet drum glossary. If I make any glaring errors, please let me know and I will fix them.


	2. Got to Get You Into My Life

Chapter 2

"So Blue, what would you say if I asked you to join my band?"

Jackie stared incredulously at her friend. "I would smile and nod to keep you calm and then, as soon as your back is turned, call the men in white coats to take you away."

"Oh, you're a riot – move over, Bill Cosby. I'm being serious here. I'm forming a rock band with Chip and Dave. All we need is a drummer and I think you just might be up to our standards."

"As great an honour as it is to be up to the standards of a bunch of pasty faced teenage Mick Jagger wannabes, I'm gonna have to pass on the grounds that you're out of your freakin' mind! The only people who know that I can tell the right side up of a drumstick are you, me and your Dad – and that's two more people in on this secret than I'm comfortable with."

Trevor noted the stubborn set of Jackie's jaw and knew he was going to need to pull out all the stops to get her on board with his plan. Perhaps a little emotional blackmail would do the trick. He heaved a regretful sigh.

"I guess it was a crazy idea. I just thought how cool it would be to have my old Camp Pukawangi sister by my side, just like the old days."

"Don't go there, Trevor," Jackie warned. "That was a long time ago."

"Seems just like yesterday when we met at good old Pukawangi," reminisced Trevor. "All that summer you and me was like peas and carrots…"

_6 years ago_

It was hard work being a rebel, 10 year old Jackie Burkhart decided as she froze in the darkened hallway outside the girls dormroom. First you had to keep yourself awake until all the other girls had fallen asleep, then there was the difficult task of getting dressed in the dark – she hoped she was wearing her pink and white T-shirt but she had a sinking feeling it could be her buttercup t-shirt in which case she was clashing horribly with her purple cords. Finally, sneaking out silently over creaky timber flooring was no easy task. When she was sure no-one had heard the door close behind her, Jackie exited the bunkhouse with a feeling of victory.

"No leaving dorm rooms after 9.30, hey?" Jackie muttered to herself. "Well, what do you call this, Tupperman? Come and get me, suckers!" For some reason, the laying out of the Camp Pukawangi rules of conduct by head camper Tupperman had been a red flag to Jackie. Not that anyone would know that by looking at the demure girl sitting with perfect posture in the front row of the assembly hall. Yet rage seethed behind her pretty young face as another grown-up ordered her life for her. Perhaps it was because there was a superficial resemblance between the pontificating Tupperman and her father when he had informed her that instead of taking Jackie to Europe with him and her mother as he had promised, he was sending her to a camp in upper Wisconsin for the summer where he was sure she would have a fine time and bring credit to the name of Burkhart. She had been so flabbergasted that he could break a promise which had meant so much to her (she had been looking forward to having her parents to herself for once) that she had not even had the opportunity to protest, cry and sulk. Before she knew it, the chauffeur was dumping her at this bug-ridden hell hole in the middle of a passell of strange kids who had no idea of her importance. What's more, when she had made some constructive criticisms regarding their clothing, language and bathing habits, they had become downright nasty to her.

_I should run away_, Jackie thought to herself as she slipped into an empty building on the other side of the camp. _Yes, I'll work out how to do it tonight – case the joint – and then I'm leaving for Point Place._

The young girl gave an involuntary shiver as an owl hooted in the silence. She suddenly felt her fear of the dark starting to creep up on her. She sang an old Beatles song under her breath to keep the eerie silence at bay. "I was alone, I took a ride, I didn't know what I would find there," she quavered in a forlorn little voice. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard behind her "Another road where maybe I could find some other kind of life there." She spun around as the light came on to find a tow-headed boy of about her own age staring at her. From the look on his face he looked about as unnerved as herself to be alone in the darkness. They regarded each other for a good 30 seconds, making the rapid character assessments children are so good at, before their faces each offered a smile of understanding to the other. Of one accord they sang,

"Ooh! Then I suddenly see you.

Ooh! Did I tell you I need you,

Every single day of my life!"

They both broke into hilarious laughter, as much to release the nervous tension as appreciation of the joke. By the time they had stopped laughing, they were friends. Still, there were formalities to go through.

"I'm Jackie."

"I'm Trevor," the boy responded.

"What are you doing here?" Jackie asked curiously.

"Come with me – I'll show you," Trevor had said mysteriously. It seemed entirely natural for Jackie to take his hand as he led her to a heavy oak door with the sign "Music Room" emblazoned on it. He ushered her into a room inhabited by a piano, brass instruments, flutes, guitars and drums. Trevor made a bee-line for an acoustic guitar and immediately started strumming, getting to know the guitar's sound and quirks. His face had a single-minded intensity as he played that shut out his new companion. Jackie did not like being ignored so she sat down at the piano and started to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", the only tune she knew, so this strange boy would not think he was the only musician around.

"Stop, stop," Trevor ordered. "That was terrible! Stop playing before the Society Against Cruelty to Pianos hears you and locks you up."

His words hurt Jackie's feelings. All of the stresses of the day all came to a head as tears welled up in her big eyes and splashed onto the keyboard. Just when she had thought that maybe she had found an ally in this hateful place she had made some wrong move to make him dislike her just like all the other kids.

"Hey, don't cry," the boy said, regretting his joke. "The piano's not easy to learn – I'm no good at it either."

"Really?" Jackie said, daring to peek at Trevor from behind her curtain of hair.

"You know what is easy," Trevor said, looking around the room frantically for an instrument she might be able to handle. "Drums! Drums are easy! Why, I'd bet you'd be a natural at it." Trevor crossed his fingers as he said this. Truth be told, his Dad had tried to teach him to play the drums but he had never been able to get beyond the basics. His talents lay elsewhere. Still, it was the kind of instrument everybody thinks will be easy and he decided this time he would keep unkind remarks on Jackie's playing to himself – he could not stand to see a girl cry.

Jackie sat herself down on the wooden stool and surveyed the dusty drum set. "What do I do?" she asked.

"Just pick up those drumsticks there – that's right – and tap the skins with the sticks."

"That's all?"

"That's all. Nothing to it."

Tentatively Jackie tapped one of the drums with her stick. It made a funny hollow sound; not bad, she thought. She tapped another drum, then another, then another, going a little faster, a little harder each time. The sound was hypnotic, like her own heartbeat, and she forgot about her new friend as she experimented with the different noises each drum would make. She found her mind drifting as she played. As she thought of her parents lying in deck chairs on the beaches of Monte Carlo without her, her playing became more forthright, even savage. It was a good thing the music room was soundproofed and set well apart from the dorms because her drumming became louder and angrier as all her suppressed hurt rose to the surface. Trevor stared at the pint-sized dervish slaughtering the drum set – of course, there was no beat or music in what she was playing, but she had a natural speed and dexterity with the sticks. When she finally paused and became aware of her surroundings, he picked up his guitar again and played the same Beatles tune they had sung together in the hallway.

"Jackie, you know this song, right?" She stared at him with wide eyes and then slowly nodded. "Can you hear the music in your head?" She nodded again – she had always been able to replay songs in her head. When she was a little girl she had played a game with her nanny who would play the beginning of a song, then Jackie would walk around the house for two minutes singing the song to herself and then come back to the nursery for the end of the song – if she came in with the right timing, she had won the game.

"Okay, now the music in your head - can you hear what the drums are doing?"

Jackie concentrated, separating the drums from the other sounds in her mental replay. Trevor began to play "Got to Get You Into My Life" at a slow pace. Tentatively, she played the accompanying beat using just one drum. As she became more confident, she quickened the beat so it was at normal pace and Trevor sped up to match her playing. When she finished the song with only a couple of minor errors, she felt the most amazing sense of accomplishment that she had actually made music!

"You are a natural," Trevor said with some awe. It had taken him three months to get to the same point that she had arrived at in just one night, and she had a much better sense of timing than he ever had. Jackie glowed at his praise.

"Can you teach me how to play properly?" she pleaded.

"I can teach you what I know," Trevor said. "But I've got a feeling we'll be passing that point long before the summer is over."

"We should meet like this every night," Jackie said excitedly. "We can make music together and no-one will know."

So it had been that strange and wonderful summer. Jackie and Trevor would meet at midnight every night, sneak off to the music room and play for 3 to 4 hours, which would mean they were both yawning all the rest of the day but camp life was not too strict and there were hammocks around for afternoon sleep catch-ups. They had soon found that their friendship as well as their music had to be kept secret, as their camp mates were still at that age where a friendship between a boy and a girl was "gross" (to the girls) or "sissy" (said the boys). But by the time Jackie's chauffeur arrived to take her away, a friendship had been forged in music between them that would not be easily broken. They had already made plans for Jackie to sneak over to his house so his Dad could teach her more about the drums than he was able to – his personal knowledge had been exhausted by the second week.

Back to the present day 

"Look Trevor, you must see it's impossible for me to be part of your band," Jackie implored, but her position had switched from dismissive to defensive. "If I was playing in front of people my parents would be sure to hear about it eventually and I'd be grounded for life. You know the one time I even dared ask if they would buy me a drum set they came down on me like a ton of bricks and said no daughter of theirs was going to play such an unladylike instrument. It was one of the few things they ever agreed on."

"I have a plan," Trevor said with a smug smile.

"Oh, you have a plan? And does this plan protect me from public humiliation if anyone ever saw Jackie Burkhart, captain of the cheerleading team by the largest majority in Point Place history, banging away on some dirty old drums and getting all…"

"Sweaty?" finished Trevor.

"Glisten-y," she finished with a frown.

"So your main objection is that it is impossible for Jackie Burkhart, perfect daughter and pure as snow cheerleader, to compromise her reputation by getting involved with a rock band."

"That's right."

"Then I have some good news. Jackie Burkhart won't have to put her reputation on the line. Jackie Burkhart won't have anything to do with this band. But my girl Blue will!"

"What are you babbling about?"

"Secret identity, kid," Trevor explained. "A different name, a wig and dark glasses and you can be the girl of your most rebellious fantasies."

"A disguise? Trevor, come on! Do you really think this" making a sweeping gesture of her form "can be disguised?"

"Hey, if a business suit and a pair of glasses worked for Clark Kent, I should think a girl who is a past master at hair and make-up could make herself look like Susanne Summers if she wanted."

That idea caught Jackie's interest. It would certainly be a challenge worthy of her talents. Still, the idea was ridiculous.

"Trev, you read too many comic books. There's no way we could pull off such a con."

"Come on, Jackie, you know how much you love jamming with me," Trevor wheedled. "Think how much better it would be setting the beat for a complete ensemble. You need to stretch your talent – and you are very talented, my friend."

Jackie was tempted – she had felt confined in her playing lately. What was she thinking, she was supposed to be giving up this illicit pleasure. Regretfully, she shook her head, laid down the drumsticks and walked towards the door.

Trevor was disappointed. "Man, I should have known you would be too square to go for this."

Jackie froze in her tracks, slowly turned around and fixed Trevor with a steely look. "Square?" she said, temper rising. "Did you just call me a square?"


	3. Balancing the Force

Thanks for all the reviews – here's the next chapter 

Chapter 3

"My friends, I think it is time we faced the fact there is a disturbance in the force," Eric Foreman said solemnly, or as solemnly as one can get in the circle.

"Not Star Wars again," Hyde groaned. "This has got to stop. Foreman, from now on I'm frogging you for every Star Wars reference. It'll be like negative reinforcement therapy for your own good. Here's the first payment."

"Ow," Eric cried. "Right here, this is what I mean. During the last month, all your anger and burns have been re-routed to us instead of to their rightful target – Jackie."

"That's great, Foreman, you had to use the "J" word," Hyde said, looking uneasily at Fez and Kelso whose expressions both instantly drooped.

"Ah, Jackie my goddess," Fez pined. "How I miss the days when I could worship her from a-close instead of afar. Now I must content myself with watching her bounce at the football games in her little short skirt going up… and down… and up…"

"I still don't get why she doesn't come round anymore," Kelso said sadly. "She was still coming around just after we broke up so I don't think it's because of that. Even when I started going out with Laurie, she was here. Unless it like hit her, all of a sudden, that she had lost me and it sent her into a downward spiral. Do you think that was it?"

"You're not the one that drove her away, is he, _Hyde_," Eric said with a pointed look at his best friend. "Kelso's not the one who was mean to his best friend's girlfriend causing said girlfriend to have no-one else but said best friend to drag to sappy girl movies and ask opinions on whether her butt looks too big in her red skirt causing said best friend to of course say the wrong thing and be denied sexual favours for the rest of the week all because the mean friend of the best friend got rid of the girlfriend's best friend because… he's mean."

"Foreman, I'm cutting you off, you're rambling. I was no meaner to Jackie than I usually am – well, not much more. Besides, you've been the spokesperson for the "Get Jackie Out of Our Lives" movement since the first day she infested this basement. So what if she hasn't been here in a month – it's not so bad."

Right on cue, Laurie Foreman strode into the basement, snatched the packet of moon pies from the midst of the dazed youths and then reclined on the couch, turning the channel to 'Days of our Lives'.

"Hey, reefer addicts," she snarled. "Get out of my basement or I'll yell for Dad to come down here because I just found Eric and his friends doing something illegal."

"Laurie, what the hell are you doing here?" Eric said in horror. Laurie had not been seen in the basement since the 'cat fight'.

"Why shouldn't I be here? It's my basement too, you know, and that's my boyfriend over there. Michael, come over here and hold my toes apart while I paint them."

"Yeah, well," Eric thought frantically, "you'd better get going cause Jackie will be here any moment and you remember what happened last time."

"You think I haven't noticed little miss sugar and spice has stopped coming around here? Nice try, Eric, but your puny brain is no match for me. Ha ha ha!" she finished with a touch of maniacal laughter.

The four boys looked at each other, then looked at the empty space where their moon pies had been, then looked at each other again. With one voice they said, "We have to get Jackie back!"

"Hyde, you have to find Jackie and apologise to her," Fez demanded.

"What? Why me?"

"Because you're the one that hurt her feelings, according to Donna," Eric declared. "Just explain to her how everything is all out of balance around here without her. Say to her 'Help us, Jackie, you're our only hope!' Ow! Hyde!"

"I warned you, Man," Hyde said, rubbing his knuckles.

…………………………….

Jackie found it difficult to focus on the sines and cosines in her math homework as her mind kept wandering to tomorrow night, when the band would have their first real gig. They had been practising together in Trevor's garage for the past month, learning how to play to each other's strengths, arguing over which popular songs to cover and just generally having a great time making music. Jackie had found it easier to be less self-conscious about her appearance around the new guys, Chip and Dave, as they did not go to her school and only knew her by Trevor's nickname for her. Jackie found a surprising freedom in being unleashed from the expectations people had of Jackie Burkhart, Town Councilman's daughter. Still, being anonymous to two boys was not as major as creating a whole new persona for a club full of strangers. The thought was as terrifying as it was thrilling.

The main drawback to her secret life was that rehearsals were a major source of free time suckage, which had curtailed her usual basement visits and had even set back her exemplary homework habits so that she found herself skipping lunch and using her recess time to catch up. Aside from the occasional phone call to Donna, she had not seen the five teenagers who had somehow become her best friends. She was not sure whether it was lack of time or reluctance to face Steven Hyde that kept her away. It was bad enough to hang around her ex-boyfriend, Michael, and the skank he had cheated on her with. To also have to deal with the boy who had flat out told her he disliked her company was a burn that scorched even her thick skin. Especially when that boy kept wandering into her romantic day dreams in spite of her resolve to cast him from her thoughts.

Jackie was frowning over this problem which she found harder to nut out than the cosine of an isosceles triangle when the very source of her frustration was suddenly before her.

"There you are," he said in exasperation. "I've been looking all over the school for you."

Jackie stared at him in surprise that (a) Hyde had wanted to find her and (b) that he even knew the school had a library.

"Why were you looking for me?" she asked.

"No reason," he replied, as though aware his opening statement gave too much of a damn.

"You searched the school for me for no reason? Isn't it a bit early in the day to be tripping, Steven?"

"Fine, there's a reason." Hyde looked very uncomfortable. "Donna, Kelso, Fez and Eric want you to come back."

Jackie noticed Hyde's nervous body language and her love powers radar went on high alert. This was not the usual cool and indifferent Hyde she was accustomed to.

"And how about you?"

"Yeah well," Hyde muttered, not meeting her eyes, "I don't mind – whatever."

"But I thought you said I wasn't cool enough to hang out with you," Jackie needled, enjoying a little revenge. "Being a square and all."

"So long as it's not in public, I can stand it," Hyde admitted.

"Oh Steven, I can't believe you missed me!" Jackie cried, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

"Aw man," Hyde groaned, trying to suppress the reaction Jackie's close pressed body was prompting from his own. "Jackie, what did I just say about public places?"

"It's the library at lunch hour, you can't get more deserted," Jackie replied.

"Look, I don't want you thinking my asking you back means I missed you." Jackie's face fell ludicrously at his words making him feel like he had just kicked a puppy. "I mean, missed you in a sappy romantic way," he amended. "We've been through this before, Jackie. You're a good kid but you're not my type."

"Because I'm a square?" Jackie asked sadly.

"Among other things," Hyde replied.

"What if I wasn't as square as you think, Steven? Would you like me then?" Jackie held her breath at his answer.

"Jackie, you are what you are. Don't go getting any Olivia Newton John fantasies of changing into some kind of bad ass to try and impress me. I'll tell you one of the few things I like about you – you're one of the handful of people I know who isn't a phony."

"What do you mean?"

"You always tell it like it is, no apologies. You're not one of those people putting on an act, pretending to be something you're not. I've always dug that about you."

"Oh," Jackie said flatly, her dream of revealing her secret identity to Steven popping like a soap bubble.

"So, will you come back so things can go back to the way they used to be?" Hyde asked hopefully.

"Yeees," she said slowly, "when I can. I haven't had a lot of free time lately, what with cheerleading and… um… dating."

"You're dating again?" Hyde asked in surprise, feeling an inexplicable pang of disappointment at the news.

"Well, that's to be expected when a hot commodity like Jackie Burkhart is thrown back into the market," Jackie bluffed. "But I'm free Saturday afternoon – how about I hang with you guys then."

"That's cool," Hyde agreed.

"Whatever," Jackie retorted with an understanding smirk.

Hyde chuckled in appreciation. "Very nice, grasshopper."


	4. A New Star

_Thanks again for all the reviews – I blush as I read them. This story is not exactly pouring out of my soul at this time so I'm trying to commit to an update every Thursday – perhaps you've already figured out that pattern. Except when the fanfic is having trouble loading new additions like lately. But usually it will be Thursdays._

Chapter 4

"OK guys, come and get 'em," Trevor announced as he doled out ID cards to Jackie, Chip and Dave.

"So who is Matilda Smithersonville when she's at home?" Jackie asked, reading the name on her new fake ID.

"Who cares? As long as she's over 18, it can read Queen Elizabeth for all the bouncers care."

"Hey Blue, check this out," Chip said, sleazing up to Jackie. "Richard Woodman – but you can call me Dick."

"Yes, I've been calling you that in my head for some time now," Jackie replied. It was not easy for someone a foot and a half shorter to look down on someone else, but Jackie had always managed that feat with Chip.

"Break it up, you two. We'll be on stage in 10 minutes," Trevor reminded them. "Chip, quit hitting on Blue. We agreed from the start there'll be no Yoko action in this band."

"Hey, all bets are off if she's going to dress like that," Chip answered with a leer at Jackie. Jackie had insisted that they all dress with a theme and had originally suggested matching gold lamé flying suits but was unanimously voted down. In the end they had decided on jeans with leather vests over bare chests (although Jackie's vest was buttoned up). There was something extremely provocative about a girl wearing a vest with nothing underneath, although she was really showing no more skin than in a sleeveless top. On her head Jackie sported a very convincing blonde wig, most of which was caught up in a messy bun and held underneath a leather mod cap which matched her vest, with blonde tendrils framing her face. She had also applied her make up in more mature, darker shades, so with the tinted glasses hiding her eyes, she could have been anything from 20 to 30 years old.

"Gotta hand it to you, Blue," Dave said with a whistle, "your own mother wouldn't recognise you. That is a seriously foxy disguise."

"Thanks, Dave," Jackie said, throwing a smile to the harmless guitar/keyboard player.

"Unless she talked," Chip added. "I mean, Blue could pass for 25 easy in that get-up, but as soon as she opens her mouth and rabbits on about cheerleading or The Love Boat, she's obviously a teen."

Before Jackie could take umbrage, Trevor said, "He has a point, Blue. It's not your fault – you're just acting your age. But if you get onto one of your talking jags to anyone in club management, you'll get us kicked out of here in a heartbeat."

"So what, I pretend my tongue was cut out?" Jackie asked sarcastically.

"No, it's just best you don't use a lot of words. You need to be terse… aloof…"

"You mean Zen?" Jackie asked, seeing a chance to really put her lessons to good use.

"Sure. And try and pitch your voice a little lower so it sounds older."

"Whatever you say, Trevor," Jackie mocked in a deep croaky voice.

"Nice – big improvement. Alright guys, lets go out there and rock this two-bit town! Whoo-hoo!"

Drawing in a deep breath, Jackie picked up her drumsticks and walked through the backstage door into a new world.

…………………………………

"Man, this place is boring," Hyde said to Eric, Fez and Kelso.

"We live in a boring town, my friend," Eric replied, "where even the minor novelty of a new band playing at the dinkiest club in town is worth checking out."

"Some novelty," scoffed Hyde. "It'll just be some lame garage band that can't even tune their guitars together. I've got better things to do with a Friday night than hear some amateurs slaughter the Stones and Zeppelin."

"Hey, come on, give 'em a chance," Kelso said. "Maybe they're really good."

"How good can they be when they don't even have a name for themselves?"

This was true – none of the budding musicians could agree on a name for the band. Jackie had wanted to be called "The Chipmunks" because of Chip and Dave (Dale – get it?) but again her nomination was wholeheartedly squashed. At this point they were like the nameless band in Happy Days.

"Ooh, I think they are coming now," Fez said as three guys carrying guitars walked onto the stage. "Holy Madre Dios! There is a girl with them! The band has a goddess!"

"Great, it's one of those lame-ass bands with someone's girlfriend banging a tambourine out of time," Hyde said, but his eyes zeroed in on the small shapely blonde walking across the stage. To his surprise she took a seat behind the drums.

"What the – " Kelso squealed. "Man, their drummer is a hot chick! A hot chick!"

Jackie had reason to thank her dark glasses as they prevented her from seeing too closely all the faces looking at her as she made her debut performance. _You're just in Trevor's garage_, she said to herself. _No reason to be nervous – it's just jamming with your friends – and Chip. _Once the voices of the patrons died to an expectant hush, she raised her drumsticks in the air, tapped them hard together three times and then launched into the opening drum solo for Sweet's Ballroom Blitz. Chip and Dave picked up the guitar parts as Trevor sang the lead vocal. By the time they hit the second verse, popular opinion was this band rocked!

"Not bad, hey Hyde?" Eric said in a smarmy I-told-you-so way.

"Yeah, whatever," Hyde answered distractedly as his eyes were glued to every move of the gorgeous drummer. He wasn't sure if it was some lighting effect they were using but there seemed to be a heavenly glow about her as she laid into those drums, belting out Queen's Another One Bites the Dust. As they worked their way through the set, more young people would filter into the club, drawn like the rats of Hamlin to the kick-ass rock that could be heard over two blocks. By the time the band had finished their first set the owner was rubbing his hands together in glee and had actually had to form a line at the door for people wanting to get in, a tradition his rundown establishment had not seen in years.

"Thanks, Point Place, you're a great audience. We're going to take a break now but we'll be back in 10," Trevor announced.

"Excellent. Now is my chance to buy that divine angel a drink," Fez said. "Do goddesses drink beer?"

"Sorry, Fez but it's illegal for foreigners to date drummers in this country," Hyde instructed.

"Damn! First it's nurses, then waitresses, then crossing-guards and now drummers? Who is an ethnic visitor allowed to date? What is left for the Fez?"

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger, man," Hyde said with a hands up gesture of innocence. "I don't make the rules." This last statement had Kelso and Eric snorting beer out of their noses in amusement. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a hot drummer over there who looks thirsty." So saying, he picked up a glass of beer and made his way over towards the stage.

He soon realised that his plan to offer beverages to the hot drummer was not an original idea; there were about 10 other guys forming a semi-circle around the petite blonde. She was looking down on them from behind her drum set like a princess on her throne accepting homage from the masses.

"Wow, that was just so awesome," a long haired boy in ripped jeans gushed.

"Whatever," replied the girl in a husky voice.

"Where did you learn to wail the skins like that, miss?" another worshipper asked.

"Been around."

"Would you like a drink, miss? I have a rum and coke here."

"I brought you a martini!"

An array of drinks was offered to the high priestess of drums who surveyed the crowd with no hint of expression until her gaze rested on Hyde. He was filled with male satisfaction to see her mouth fall open across her pearly white teeth in surprise; he wished he could see her eyes but the tinted glasses were impenetrable. He took the opening.

"Beer?" he said as laconic as herself.

The pack of males held their breath as she considered the offer and then reached across the drums to accept the drink. "Thanks," was all she said. Jackie concentrated on sipping the beer as an excuse not to look at Hyde. She had almost squealed in shock when she had seen him before her and her heart was currently beating a buzz roll. To judge from Hyde's expression, he did not recognise her but then he was much better at concealment than she so she could not be sure.

"C'mon, Blue," Trevor said, making shooing gestures at the guys milling around her, "Time for the second set." Jackie could not resist one last look at Hyde and found him gazing intensely at her. She made a small nod to him, and then resolutely pushed him from her mind and concentrated on the music. However, for the other two breaks that night she retreated to the dressing room to avoid any more contact with Hyde, much to his disappointment. He considered waiting outside the club for her after the gig but then Red would kick his ass if he broke curfew. Another night, he promised both himself and the mysterious girl called Blue.


	5. Secrets

Chapter 5

"I'm telling you, she was making eyes at me all night," Kelso insisted.

"Yeah, right," Eric retorted. "How would you know? You couldn't even see her eyes behind those glasses."

"Hey guys," a voice that had been long absent from the basement sounded.

"Jackie!" Kelso and Fez cried together joyfully. Before she could avoid them they had her sandwiched in a hug. When she started making squeaking noises of protest, Hyde intervened and prised her two admirers apart.

"Nice way to send her right back out the door, dill holes," he reprimanded. "Hey Jackie," he greeted her coolly.

"Ah, the demon has returned to her rightful place and good is now balanced by evil," Eric contributed by way of welcome.

"Missed you too, Eric," Jackie answered with a half smile. "So where's your better half?"

"Donna should be here anytime. So where have you been keeping yourself? I haven't seen you in light years.. I mean ages," Eric amended as Hyde made a threatening move towards him.

"Oh, I've just been busy with some extra curricular things," Jackie answered evasively.

"That's right. Jackie has been dating up a storm," Hyde said with a smarmy smile directed at Kelso. His words had the desired effect on the good looking doofus.

"Who is he?" he asked, his eyes narrowed in jealousy. "So help me I'll rearrange the dirtbag's face!"

"OK, I'm definitely not telling you now," Jackie answered, finding Kelso's jealousy a convenient excuse to hold back her mythical boyfriend's name. "All you need to know is that he is better than you in every possible way."

"Hey, that's what you once said about Hyde when he took you to prom," Kelso cried as wheels turned in his head. "Are you two - ?"

"Hell, no," Hyde jumped in, quick to squash this kind of supposition. "God, Jackie and me? That's like blasphemy, Man. Don't even go there."

Jackie turned a cool stare upon Hyde. "Blasphemy, Steven? Wow, with that kind of smooth talking it's no wonder you have girls dripping off you – oh wait – you _don't_."

"Burn!" Kelso shouted gleefully, his jealousy easily sidetracked.

Hyde raised an amused eyebrow at Jackie; truth be told he preferred to have Jackie burning him than mooning over him. Still, the grasshopper burning the master? He could not let that kind of disrespect go unpunished.

"Did I say blasphemy? I meant to say felony. Seeing as how you have the maturity of an 8 year old."

"Whatever," Jackie said in a bored voice, in lieu of not having a good come back. "So who were you guys talking about when I came in?"

"There was the most radiant goddess at the Juice Box Club last night," Fez said eagerly.

"Yeah, and she was coming onto me like crazy all night," Kelso bragged.

"Would you shut up, Kelso," Hyde ground out (he had obviously lost patience with Kelso's delusions). "Blue never once looked in your direction all night."

"Blue?" Eric repeated with a smile. "You remembered a girl's name? You must really like her."

"Give Hyde some credit, Eric," Fez said. "He doesn't forget their names until after he's done it with them."

"It's too bad, Hyde, falling for the chick that I have made the target of the Kelso love vibe," Kelso commiserated. "You should just bow out gracefully while you still can."

"Well, considering I was the only guy in that club who made any kind of connection with her last night, I'm not feeling too insecure, thanks anyway," Hyde replied. "Besides, don't you have a girlfriend now?"

"Who? Oh, Laurie! Well, yeah but you know I always like to keep a back-up just in case," Kelso answered, forgetting who was in the room. He was shortly reminded when she planted a forceful kick on his shin. "OWWW! Damn, Jackie!"

"I really do like the way you blend zen and ass-kicking, Jackie," Hyde said with an approving smile that gave her tingles. _Damn_, Jackie thought. _Sometimes it's hard to remember he isn't worth me making a fool of myself_. It was difficult when one minute he was handing out a stinging put down that made her temper boil and the next he was smiling at her in a way that made her yo-yo from despair to hope. Her emotions were a see-saw that wanted both to bring Steven Hyde to his knees so she could spurn his undying love as heartlessly as he had hers, and at the same time she wanted to throw herself into his arms and be his lifeline to happiness. _Two sides,_ Jackie speculated. _Two people. Blue and Jackie._

"Sooo, Steven," she said casually, "What's all this about you falling for a girl? Has true love found you at last?"

"True love?" he replied. "True lust more likely. That drummer chick was so hot her clothes should be made of asbestos. One more visit to the club, two at the most and we'll be finding a rhythm of our own – in the flat bed of the El Camino." Fez high-fived this cocky prediction with an appreciative guffaw.

"What? All you want is to – to _have sex_ with her?" Jackie cried, horrified.

"Well, what else would I want? Besides, everyone knows chicks who play in rock bands are easier than Eric's sister."

"Hey," Eric said, pointing an angry finger at Hyde. "Take that back, Hyde. That is an insult to female musicians everywhere!"

"For your information, Blue is not that kind of girl," Jackie defended herself hotly. "In fact, she's only ever slept with one other guy and she was in love with him when she did so to call her a slut is gross slander." Jackie suddenly realised from the electric silence in the room that she may have been indiscreet.

"You _know_ her?" Hyde asked incredulously.

"Um," Jackie stalled, thinking furiously. "Kind of." _What have I done?_ She railed at herself. _They must never know I am Blue. Steven won't think I'm cool, he'll think I'm like Laurie and my reputation will go up in flames. _It was then inspiration hit her. "I'm dating one of the band," she declared.

"What, Head Cheerleader Jackie Ra-Ra Burkhart dating a rocker? What kind of crazy mismatch is that?" Hyde derided.

"I don't know. I've been attracted to more unsuitable types," Jackie replied with a knowing look just for Hyde.

"Has she got a boyfriend?"

"What's her phone number?"

"Does she like candy?"

"Which Charlie's Angel does she identify with?"

"Stop it!" Jackie ordered. "I'm not telling you guys anything. Blue is a lovely girl and not one of you perverts is good enough for her." Jackie made her way to the basement door. "Now, since the main entertainment planned for this Saturday afternoon seems to be thinking of ways to prey on innocent females, I'm going to go find Donna and rescue her from another dull afternoon in this dump."

Jackie was just approaching the Pinciotti front door when she heard someone run up behind her.

"Jackie," Hyde said, touching her arm to turn her towards him.

"What do you want, Hyde?" she said, deliberately using the impersonal version of his name. Hyde was irritated that he noticed and that he actually didn't like it. But he brushed this detail aside.

"Is it true? Do you really know this Blue girl?" Hyde asked, a little awkwardly.

"Yes, it's true."

Hyde motioned Jackie to sit down next to him on the porch step. After a moment's hesitation she did so.

"Look, Jackie, I didn't want to say anything in front of the guys but, well, I really did like that girl last night. And I think she liked me too."

"Maybe she did," Jackie said, studying her shoes as she spoke. "All the more reason you should stay away from her. I mean it, Steven, she's not one of your one-night-stand sex buddies. I… I don't want her to get hurt."

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you protective of another person before," Hyde said in surprise.

"Well, we're pretty close," Jackie answered. "I mean, I hang out at the band's rehearsals so I've got to know her quite well," she elaborated. "We actually have a lot in common." Jackie was starting to enjoy playing with the truth.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe," Hyde said with a laugh. "Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is it's not just about lust. I mean, there is that as well but I'd kind of like to get to know her. Hell, I might even be willing to get into one of those relationship deals if she's as cool as I think she is." He nodded his head at Jackie's look of surprise. "I know, there's a first for everything."

"So what do you want from me?"

"From what I saw at the club last night, this girl is going to have every horny guy in Point Place after her. That's some heavy competition, even for a guy with zen. But if I've got her best friend on my side putting in a good word for me, then that will give me an edge over them." Hyde explained.

Jackie was torn. On the one hand she had Hyde showing more interest in her than he had in any other girl he had ever known, only problem being he didn't know it was Jackie he was attracted to. Plus the more she thought about it the more disastrous the notion of Hyde learning her secret identity would be. He regularly burned his best friend by revealing information to get him in trouble with his parents. What would he do to someone who ranked much further down his popularity list? So the rational, sensible decision was to refuse to help him. Right? Right. She turned her head, looked deep into his blue eyes, drew a breath and blurted, "OK, I'll do it."

Hyde grinned happily. "That's my grasshopper," he said approvingly.

"There's one catch," Jackie qualified before Hyde could get too confident. "If I do this favour for you, then you have to do something for me." She refused to be a complete pushover.

"Like what?" Hyde asked suspiciously.

"Weelll, I couldn't help but notice that you have a new car," Jackie said.

"Yeah, Leo gave it to me a couple of weeks ago. Totally burned Kelso at the same time. Man, that was a sweet moment," Hyde reminisced.

"Since I won't have a car until my report card comes in to impress my Daddy, I could really use someone to drive me around."

"What, you expect to bum rides with me in exchange for getting me in with Blue?" Hyde said with a frown.

"I don't like the expression 'bum rides'. I believe the term 'chauffeur' would be more accurate," Jackie replied, tilting her perfect little nose in the air.

"Chauffeur?" Hyde gasped. "Are you out of your easy-bake oven mind? It'll be a cold day in Hell before I'd ever become your… your…"

"I believe 'servant' is the word you're looking for," Jackie replied sweetly. "Too bad, but it's probably all for the best. You're not really Blue's type anyway." Jackie blithely stood up, dusted the back of her skirt and put her finger on the Pinciotti doorbell. Just as Donna opened the door to usher her through, she heard behind her in a strangled voice, "Wait!" She turned around and raised her eyebrows at his stormy expression.

"Fine, I'll drive you around," he said through clenched teeth. "But if you think you're choosing the radio stations, princess, think again!" As he marched across her front garden, stomping on the marigolds, Donna asked, mystified "What was that all about?"

Jackie gave a canary-stuffed cat's smile. "Oh, that's just Steven. We're best friends now."


	6. Getting to know you

_Sorry for the delay in posting – I went to my work yesterday and found I had lost this chapter so was typing furiously from memory to resurrect it. Thanks again for all the reviews – they make me look forward to checking my email each morning._

Chapter 6

"Steven," Jackie's strident voice sounded as she entered the basement. "You have to drive my to my hair salon at once! If I don't get my luscious strawberry delight hair treatment soon, there is a very real chance my hair could start to frizz at any moment." Hyde remained seated on his chair, arms folded, eyes glued to the television. "Didn't you hear me? Let's go!"

"The only place I'm driving you is hell," Hyde answered bitterly. "Not that you'd need me to find your way, what with it being your home town."

"What is up with you? Have you forgotten our deal?" Jackie said, hands on hips.

"I'm not the one whose failed to deliver, Jackie. Our deal was that I'd give you rides and you'd get me in with Blue. And yet I can't help noticing that in the three weeks since we struck that bargain, I've driven you to school, the hub, cheerleading practice, the mall – everywhere but the one place where I'd have a chance of meeting Blue off-stage, that is rehearsals." Jackie had kept the location of where the band rehearsed as top secret as a tool of the government.

"Steven, I've told you before, you're not ready to meet Blue yet," Jackie argued. "Besides, you can't say you've got nothing out of this. Aside from the immense pleasure of my company, how about all those tips about Blue I've been feeding you?" This was true; at the end of each ride Jackie would surrender a fact about the object of Hyde's desire as a kind of payment. He now knew her favourite flower (pink roses), her preferred donut (chocolate with yellow sprinkles), her original hair colour (brunette) and what tree she would be if she were a tree.

"Well, excuse me but I don't agree that being told the kind of useless trivia that sounds like it came straight from one of your Cosmo quizzes is keeping up your end of the deal." A thought suddenly occurred to Hyde and his eyes narrowed on Jackie with suspicion. "Hang on, do you really know this girl?" It occurred to him how unlikely it was that Jackie would ever move in the same circles as a chick as cool as his drumming goddess. Her reluctance to introduce him to Blue took on a new and sinister meaning.

"What? Of course I know her," Jackie asserted.

"Then introduce me to her."

"I can't do that," Jackie cried unthinkingly.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I fell for this! You don't know her at all, do you? You've just been playing me for a sucker." Hyde was working up into a fine rant as he strode angrily towards a wide-eyed Jackie. "I can't believe you would cheat me like this!"

"Cheat?" gasped Jackie. "I am not a cheat!"

"I don't know why I didn't twig before. As if a real woman like Blue would ever hang out with a stuck-up little girl like you."

"OK, I'm getting really tired of you calling me immature," Jackie said angrily. "And for your information, I was going to set you up with Blue tonight."

Hyde stopped in mid-tirade. "You are?"

"I _was_," Jackie corrected, "but after the way you spoke to me - "

"Now don't be like that." Hyde was trying for some damage control. "What was I supposed to think? One minute you're saying you can't introduce me and the next you're saying you've set me up with her?"

"I can't introduce you," Jackie was thinking fast "because I'm underage so can't be on the Club premises. But I talked her into meeting you after her gig tonight."

"Oh," Hyde replied uncertainly. "that's great! Thanks." Jackie said nothing but fixed him with a stony gaze. "Aww, c'mon, you know I didn't mean any of that stuff I said." Jackie's expression did not change. "Still with the look, huh? Well, I guess I'll just have to find another way to make you smile." Before Jackie knew what hit her, Hyde pounced on her so she was lying helpless on the couch as his hands mercilessly found her most ticklish places.

"Stop," she shrieked. "I can't stand.. ha ha..no! ha ha ha."

Hyde held her arms above her head with one strong hand wrapped around her dainty wrists while the other hand hovered over that most ticklish of areas, the underarm to ribs sweep.

"Apologise for being bitchy," he demanded. When she did not comply, his fingers tackled her ribs.

"No! I'm sorry," she laughed.

"Now say cheerleading is stupid."

"Steven, I am not – no! Cheerleading is stupid."

"And I'm the most awesome guy you've ever met."

"You're the most awesome guy I've ever met."

Her lack of hesitancy as well as something in her blue/green eyes took Hyde aback for a moment. He realised that he was holding her captive in a very suggestive position and had the strangest impulse to convert that suggestion into a reality. Hastily he jumped away from Jackie. "Right, so you wanted a lift to the salon so… um… I'll just get my keys." Jackie looked back at him slightly dazed, unaware her skirt had ridden halfway up her succulent thighs. This prompted Hyde to move the lower part of his body out of view behind the sofa. "- just as soon as I've gone to the bathroom," he said, making a quick exit.

…………………………………….

Hyde was still unnerved by the recent tussle with the girl he had always considered repugnant to him which made him brusque with the source of his confusion. Still, when he told Jackie to get in his car and belt up, he hadn't thought she would take him so literally. But she had not spoken a word in the last 20 minutes. At first the silence was a welcome change from her usual nonstop babble, but after a while he felt he was in the presence of some unnatural force. Finally the tension broke his cool and he burst out "Will you stop that!"

"Huh? Stop what?" Jackie asked, bewildered.

"All this silence. It's freaking me out," Hyde complained.

"Well, you were so uptight I thought if I did make a sound you'd push me out of the car while it was moving," Jackie joked. "Besides, aren't you always telling me to shut up?"

"I know, you'd think when it finally happened I would enjoy it. I guess it's kind of like when my Uncle Earl from New York came to visit my family. He said he couldn't get to sleep at our place because it was too quiet. He lives next to the subway and is used to all the trains shaking his place with their noise."

"So the sound of my voice is like train noise to you? Oh, Steven," Jackie cooed, a hand over her heart.

"Now don't get carried away," Hyde said but the smile he threw at her knocked her out of the ballpark.

"It's OK, I understand why you were so curt," she excused him. "I'm guessing you're mind is preoccupied with a certain girl who is stunningly beautiful, has the delicately petite build of a ballerina and loves music."

"Damn it Jackie, does every conversation have to be about you?" Hyde said in exasperation.

"Steven, I was referring to Blue," Jackie said with a secret smile.

"Oh – right, I knew that."

"Oh, you have to turn up the radio! I love this song," Jackie cried as the twanging intro to 'Sweet Home Alabama' came on. Hyde did so, remarking with surprise "I wouldn't have pegged you as a Lynard Skynard fan."

"That's the power of this song. Don't really like the band, never liked the South but it's just so damn catchy you just can't help grooving to it." Jackie propped her shoes on the dashboard and started beating a tattoo on her knees in perfect time to the music. "Trevor says his life's ambition is to nail this guitar solo," she said absently as it came to that part of the song.

"Trevor? Isn't he the lead singer?" Hyde asked, wondering how many personalities this one small girl contained.

"Um… yes," Jackie admitted, realising she had wandered into dangerous territory.

"Is he the guy you're dating?" Hyde asked, annoyed that the thought disturbed him somehow.

"He could be," Jackie said cautiously. She had a feeling Trevor might be difficult about this deception so thought it best to hedge her bets. An even better tactic would be turning the tables. "So, are you looking forward to tonight?"

"Tonight? Oh, right, Blue." Hyde had not had the chance to think about finally meeting his Blue that night, but now it came to him that the girl he had fantasized about for almost a month would finally be within his grasp. An unfamiliar feeling came upon him at the thought – nervousness. "Do you think… never mind."

"Do I think what?" Jackie coaxed, touched by his boyish hesitancy.

"Do you think she'll like me?" he blurted.

Jackie smiled warmly at him. "I guarantee it."

The hidden compliment in her words sparked some warm fuzzy feelings in him that were as alien as the nervousness, so he tried for a lighter note.

"Somehow I can't see you and Blue being best buds," he said.

"Why not?"

"Come on – isn't a garage band a bit too gritty and rough for you? I'd think you'd put down any female who played in one as several rungs below a lumberjack. Plus I would have thought a kick-ass drummer wouldn't have much time for an Abba obsessed princess like you."

"For your information, Blue and I are alike in many ways."

"Don't say things like that," Hyde protested. "You're tarnishing my image of her."

"Oh, you're impossible," Jackie fussed. "You can set me down over there," she said, as they approached the salon.

As Jackie was opening the car door, Hyde impulsively said "So will I see you tonight at the Club? Are you going to be there to cheer on your boyfriend?"

"Steven, I told you, it is quite impossible for me to be there when you meet Blue," Jackie said with complete sincerity. "Don't worry, just wait for her after the performance – it'll be fine."

"Worry? I don't worry," Hyde muttered to himself, disconcerted by all the strange emotions Jackie and Blue between them had stirred in him lately. Why were women so complicated?


	7. Acting Lessons

Chapter 7

"Hey, Jackie, you excited about tonight?" Trevor asked her as she took her seat behind the drum set. She had come straight to Trevor's garage from the salon for a couple of hours of rehearsal time.

"Tonight? What do you mean? Who told you?" Jackie asked, pulled from her anxious thoughts. She was mentally kicking herself for promising Hyde a meeting with Blue.

"What do you mean, who told me? I told you just last week how tonight is our last night at this dive. From next week we're playing at Smoky Joe's – I tell you, this band is going places, baby."

"This nameless band," pointed out Jackie.

"Not anymore," Trevor replied smugly.

"We picked a name?"

"No, a name picked us. We are now known on the circuit as "That band with the hot chick".

"Really?" Jackie squealed. "It's named for me? Ha! In your face, Hot Donna!"

"I'm telling you kid, this is just the beginning. We're moving on to better clubs, better pay, better clientele. Soon we'll be strong enough to start playing some of our own songs." Trevor played a guitar lick to express his excitement. "Once people hear the lyrics you've been writing lately, we'll really be established as an angry rock band."

Jackie looked a bit self-conscious. "Hey, they're not all angry."

"What was the chorus of your latest effort? Oh yeah,

_You don't have two brain cells to rub together_

_If you thought that you could cheat on me_

_I'm gonna rip your head off and spit down your neck_

_Just give me opportunity"_

"Well, if you're going to take it out of context like that," Jackie answered a little huffily. "Anyway, I was just coming out of a bad break-up when I wrote that. I'm not feeling so angry anymore."

"Shame," murmured Trevor.

"I've been thinking out a song lately which has rainbows and unicorns and little bluebirds that are the colour of his eyes," Jackie said dreamily.

"Oh God, no," Trevor said in horror. "You're not falling in love again, are you? Dammit Blue, you can't write music for a rock band when you're falling in love. For The Carpenters, maybe but not a rock band."

"Do you think you could stretch your mind to embrace a concept outside of this band, Trevor?" Jackie asked in exasperation. Trevor's blank look at this idea was answer enough. Music was his life; all other aspects of existence were just ghosts on the outskirts of his consciousness. "But if you fear I will find happiness, don't worry. The guy I'm falling for can't stand me."

"Aw, c'mon, Jackie," Trevor said, made uncomfortable by her woe-begone face. "I'm sure he can. Studies made on prisoners of war have shown how human beings can adapt to the worst mental tortures, so I'm sure this poor schmuck you've targeted will eventually accept his fate." He laughed when he saw indignation chase the sorrow from her face, so she slapped his arm for teasing her.

"For your information, he happens to be falling in love with me," she declared.

"What, he can't stand you but he's falling in love with you? How does that add up?"

Jackie chewed her bottom lip in indecision before she made up her mind to let Trevor into her confidence. "Trev, you have to swear that the secret I am about to tell you can never leave this unbelievably ugly garage."

"Alright."

"Will you swear by the Pukawangi oath?"

"We can't use the oath. That involves a spit in the hands handshake and you would never go for that."

"Trev, this secret is so big I will even spit for it," Jackie said solemnly. "The laundry sink is just through that door, right?"

"Right."

"Good, so if you'll just say the sacred words… there's proper anti-bacterial soap in there too, right?"

"Jackie, I can see from the lengths you are willing to go to that this secret means a lot to you so how about I swear on the life of Don Henley that I will take it to my grave."

"OK," Jackie agreed, and then proceeded to explain the whole double identity dilemma she had talked her way into. "So I have to meet him at the Club tonight as Blue," she finished on a wail. "How am I going to fool him at close quarters? I'd have to take my glasses off at some point and then he'll know and he'll be mad at me for deceiving him and hate me and get me into trouble with my folks and my friends – "

"Whoa, back away from the deep end, Blue," Trevor said. Jackie looked to him hopefully as she observed his frown of concentration. Perhaps he could see a way out of this corner she had painted herself into.

"Why do you have to take off your glasses?" Trevor threw the question at her.

"Why?" Jackie repeated, nonplussed. "Because… I mean, on a date a girl is supposed to – "

"Right there, that's your problem," Trevor analysed. "You're thinking like a well brought up young lady. Doing the proper, conventional thing under the circumstances. Well, you've got to throw that kind of thinking away, baby!" Trevor flicked a paint can lid across the garage to lend drama to his point, then winced as he heard glass crash and tinkle from the area where it landed. "OK, if my mom asks, those jam jars were like that when we got here."

"Back to my life, Trevor," Jackie insisted. "Focus on what's important."

"Your problem is you're still thinking like Jackie when you're Blue. You've got to get yourself into character when you put on that wig and dark glasses."

"In character," Jackie repeated, thinking this through.

"Yes! Blue is not some middle-class priss who does what people expect her to. She's a rebel, kicking down bourgeois conventions. If she wants to wear dark glasses indoors, who the hell is going to tell her she can't? This chick makes her own rules!"

"She does?"

"Damn straight! Jackie, if you want to come out on top tonight, you've got to remember that you're the one in control. Because you are! I'll tell you a secret - when a guy is on a first date with a girl he really digs, she has got 100 per cent of the power. You start simpering at this Hyde dude and asking what he would like from you, he'll snatch that power away from you. But if you tell him 'This is the kind of no holds barred chick I am and what are you going to do about it' he'll lie down at your feet and beg you to walk your clogs all over him."

The prospect of Steven Hyde making himself into a carpet for her pleasure was delicious. "You're right, Trevor! I keep thinking of Steven as someone who is immune to the hot chick rules because he's never drooled over me like the other lovesick geeks at our school. But when I'm Blue then I'll be the kryptonite to his Superman and bring him to his knees."

"God forgive me, I've created a monster," observed Trevor.

"Thank you so much, Trevor," Jackie cried, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek.

"Hey, don't press your boobs up against my Queen T-shirt," Trevor reproved, setting her at arms length. "You know Freddy doesn't like it."

"Well, he'll have to come to terms with it because there may be more of that coming," Jackie replied. "That was the other thing I had to tell you – I told Steven I was dating a member of the band to explain how I knew Blue, so this is your lucky day, loverboy."

"What? No way! You can stretch the friendship only so far, Jackie," Trevor insisted, holding his hands up in protest.

"Aww, come on, Trevor," Jackie implored with puppy dog eyes.

"Forget it! I'm not getting dragged into this bad Nutty Professor send-up. Ask Chip or Dave – they'll be sickeningly grateful for the privilege to be your fake boyfriend."

"I don't want either of the chipmunks in on this," Jackie said, her pout turning to a sulk. "You've gotta do this, Trev. You owe me – this whole double identity thing was your idea."

"Jackie, I'm a lead singer in a rock band," Trevor whined. "That right there is hot babe currency and I don't want anything holding me back from maxing out my credit." It took a subtle blend of begging, flirting and out and out intimidation but in the end Trevor buckled and reluctantly agreed to be Jackie's beard.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the garage door Chip was grinning from ear to ear at the juicy fruits of his eavesdropping. There were so many ways to manipulate this information to his advantage, he would have to plan carefully so as to get the optimum satisfaction out of the situation. That would serve that bitch Blue for her constant rejections –or should he say, Jackie?


	8. At Last!

Chapter 8

_Hey, guys thanks for all the reviews and good advice. Just wanted to make it clear the reference to The Nutty Professor in Chapter 7 was to the original Jerry Lewis version, not the Eddie Murphy remake. In the original, Lewis is transformed from a geeky professor into the swinging musician, Buddy Love, not unlike our "squarish" heroine's dilemma._

"…so everyone give it up for the farewell performance of That Band with the Hot Chick! Woohoo!" cheered the manager of the Juice Box, prompting a frenzy of applause and appreciative catcalls from the audience. The three male members of the Band grinned their pleasure at the response, only the face of the female drummer remaining inscrutable. Her lack of emotion caused Hyde's heart to miss a beat.

_She has the most perfect zen I've ever seen_, he thought. As the band hurtled into "No Time at All" by the Police, his mind wandered into fantasies of what he could do to break the cool ice of her expression. As most of these fantasies ended in the removal of all her clothing, he was feeling less than zen by the end of the performance.

"Man, I could really use some circle time right about now," he admitted to Eric.

"Why, is your heart all a-flutter at the thought of meeting your lady-love?" Eric ribbed. Hyde gave him a cold look.

"You challenging Kelso for the title of King of the Morons, Foreman? Have you ever seen me get bent out of shape over a girl before?"

"Well, not before - "

"Right, and you never will. Jumping to attention when a chick walks past is your area of expertise. Me, I'm the one that makes _them _jump – usually on me."

"Sure, you're a regular Fonzie," Eric agreed sarcastically. "So you wouldn't be fazed at all if I were to tell you that Blue was standing right behind you." As Eric said this he seemed to be making eye contact with someone over Hyde's shoulder.

"What? She's here?" Hyde yelped, spinning around frantically to find nothing but air. Eric cracked up at his friend's reaction, so overcome he could not even stop when Hyde turned to him with lowering brow and clenched fists.

"Oh, you think that's funny, man? Forget the circle, what I really need is to punch out my stress on your gormless face." Eric started to panic when Hyde grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"Wait, Hyde – you don't want to hit me in front of Blue," Eric cried, looking over Hyde's shoulder.

"You think I'm falling for that again, Foreman? Now you're just being insulting."

"Help me," Eric said in a choked voice.

"If you're looking for work as a bouncer, you might want to wait until the manager's watching before you punch your friend," a husky voice said over Hyde's shoulder. His body stilled and his eyes went wide at these words. Eric took the opportunity to detach himself from Hyde's fist and smile in appreciation at his rescuer.

"Thanks, miss," he said, straightening his collar. "You have great timing. It's no wonder you're such an amazing drummer." The lovely blonde acknowledged Eric's compliment with the merest suggestion of an uptilting of the corner of her mouth. Otherwise she stood before the two boys, clad in her cap and dark glasses, as distant and unreachable as Antarctica. Eric found her stillness unnerving and yet oddly familiar. Who did this girl remind him of?

Hyde recovered from his 'fear or flight' instinct and turned to face this girl who had burrowed her way into his thoughts from the moment he first saw her. He compensated for his former lack of control by affecting a slouching stance, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," he said in a bored voice. Jackie was mentally dancing a triumphant jig at his zen which was so obviously forced. _Okay, Steven_, she thought. _I'll see your boredom and raise you indifference._

"Hey," she replied.

_Of course_, Eric thought in enlightenment. _That's who she reminds me of – Hyde!_ Chuckling, Eric excused himself, although it is doubtful either Hyde or Blue noticed him. Dark glasses were searching dark glasses, but there were no windows to the soul open for business with these two.

The staring match had continued silently for about two minutes when Blue said "So does this tactic usually work?"

"What tactic?

"The whole brooding-silence-until-the-other-person-gets-nervous-and-speaks-first tactic."

Hyde smirked. "Well, you did speak first. Do I make you nervous?"

"No," Jackie lied convincingly. "I don't get nervous." Her deadpan delivery was so convincing that Hyde started to feel kind of nervous himself. He was used to being the most enigmatic person in the conversation but now he felt outgunned.

"So, why do they call you Blue?" Hyde asked. "Let me guess, it's your eye colour, right?" He was suddenly very curious to have her remove the dark glasses.

"No," she responded. "It's the colour of the blanket I was wrapped in when I was left on the doorstep of an orphanage in New York City." Blue shrugged. "I guess the matron didn't have much imagination." _Ha! Try and top that Mr I'm-so-special-because-I-had-a-rotten-childhood._

"Wow!" Hyde was impressed. "You're from New York?"

"Not really. I don't really have one place that lays claim to me. I've been making my way through America's big cities since I ran away from the Home at the age of 10 with nothing but a pair of drumsticks and a sense of adventure."

"No kidding? You lived on the streets when you were 10? Didn't you have to go to school?"

"School?" Blue repeated derisively. "School is for drones, all doing what they're told by the Man, being brainwashed by teachers in cahoots with the government until all the original thought is stamped out of their grey little minds." Jackie was glad she had paid attention to some of Hyde's rants when he was stoned; it was providing excellent material.

"Whoa, it's like you're reading my mind," Hyde said. As Hyde never remembered what he said when he was smoking, it was like Blue's words were ripped from his own private musings.

"So what do you do?" Blue asked.

"Oh, I uh work in a photo shop."

"Full time?"

"No, after…"

"School?"

"Hey, don't go judging me, woman," Hyde said on the defensive. "It's not my choice – damn government is making me."

"Making you?" Blue questioned, wrinkling her nose in feigned confusion. "Do you mean to say – you're a minor?"

"Well – yeah."

Now was Jackie's big moment, her vengeance on Hyde for that scene in the Hub that had begun this tale. "I had no idea – Jackie never told me your age. Look, I don't mean to step on your teenage crush but – well, you're just too young for me."

"What?" Hyde roared in outrage.

Jackie shook her head in regret. "Don't get upset, I'm just used to dating real men. In fact, being 21 and all, if anything were to… er… happen between you and me I could be locked up for statutory rape."

Hyde could not believe what he was hearing. No girl had ever told him he wasn't mature enough for her. Not clean enough, not legal enough, not rich enough, sure, but he had always maintained an aura of being older and wiser than his peers.

"Plus there's something about you that screams small town white boy," Jackie continued, rubbing a thoughtful finger against her chin. "I'm sorry, kid, but you and I, don't have anything in common. You're, like, a 'burb. A white bread. You're just too square for me."

Jackie turned away from Hyde before he could see the triumphant grin break through. Now she had both her revenge on Steven and had ensured the safety of her secret; after a rejection like that, he would not be coming back for more. This was why she was caught completely by surprise when he grabbed her from behind by her forearm. With a surprised squawk she fell backwards into his arms and found herself gazing up into his ticked-off face.

"You think I'm not mature enough, do you? Have any of the _real men_ you've dated ever kissed you like this?" Before she could protest, he had covered her lips with his in a bruising kiss meant to conquer. However, there was something about the silken smoothness of her skin and the faint scent of strawberries mixed with perspiration that gentled his kiss until, against her own better judgment, Jackie's mouth shyly opened to grant him access. That was when it became an epic kiss, one of those key events that replay themselves when you face death. By the time Hyde had finished, both he and his tormenter were breathless and he knew that the balance of power had shifted between them, that for those few minutes of passion Blue had been his entirely.

He noticed she still had her dark glasses on and reached out to take them off.


	9. Van Sticks

Chapter 9

He noticed she still had her dark glasses on and reached out to take them off.

"No," she cried, backing up.

"What's wrong? I was just going to take your glasses off."

Blue stood frozen before Hyde, her body language plainly indicating her panic, and then turned around and bolted out the stage door. Hyde was stunned at her reaction. Ten minutes ago she had been an ice queen, then she had burst into flames in his arms and now she fled like a frightened child.

"I can see why her and Jackie are such good friends," he muttered. "They're both nuts!" He went to follow her through the door she had run through but it was locked. He kicked the door in frustration, which drew the attention of the Club bouncer so that he soon found himself shoved onto the sidewalk outside the Club. Hyde walked slowly towards his car, reluctantly admitting defeat – for now.

The next day he was hanging in the basement with his friends, with the exception of Jackie. He was surprised at the disappointment he felt at her absence – he had been looking forward to talking over last night with her. Blue had been much more of an enigma than he had expected and the kiss they had shared made him hungry to solve the puzzle. He had a feeling that Jackie held the key.

"Where the hell is Jackie with your van, man?" Hyde asked Kelso impatiently.

"Ah, she had to help her aunt move a couch."

"Why did you lend Jackie your van? She hates you, man." Fez asked.

"Well, I'm trying to get on her good side, Fez. I mean, this is a small town with a limited number of women. And I've already gone all the way through 'em once, and now I'm back to Jackie. Oh. And I love her."

Jackie then returned, tossed the keys to Kelso and eventually admitted that she had crashed Kelso's van. "But other than that, everything went cool."

The scene shifted to the Foreman driveway where the gang inspected the damaged van, with one rear door crumpled and the other missing. It was Kelso who discovered Jackie's drumsticks.

"Jackie, what are these?" he asked in disbelief.

"Uh...Van sticks."

"No. Jackie, these...these are not van sticks. These are drumsticks. Whose drumsticks are they?"

"Oh, wow, Jackie." Donna piped in. "What's up?"

Jackie dodged Kelso's question by confessing how she had used the van. "Okay. Fine. You know what? I used your van to drive Chip and his band to a gig."

"Jackie...is Chip a girl?" Kelso questioned.

"Uh, no."

"You had other guys in my van?"

"You're dating a band?" Hyde asked. His insinuation was partly to poke a little fun at Jackie but also to prod her into revealing which one of the band she was involved with.

Jackie avoided the question. "It wasn't a date. It was a gig."

"Whatever it was, it was a gross misuse of van. And, uh-And you owe me money- big-time!" Kelso stated.

"I owe you money?" Jackie repeated incredulously. "What about all the stuff I bought you while we were together?"

"That does not count. You gave me those things so I would love you."

Their fight was carried back into the basement, Jackie and her ex flinging recriminations at each other. Hyde rolled his eyes at Kelso's nerve demanding money from Jackie, considering all the cash Jackie had lavished on him while they were dating. He had a strong impulse to burn Kelso and help Jackie at the same time, but he told himself it was the burning Kelso part that was his motivation.

"All right. All right. Let's just act like adults and treat this like what it really is: A divorce. Let's just figure out what you guys owe each other." Hyde outlined the plan to "do the math" of who owed who more money. This was unfortunate for Kelso, who had never been very good at math which was why 30 minutes later he was sitting curled up on a chair in nothing but his underwear, having surrendered everything he had as part payment for the huge debt he owed Jackie. After he had stormed out of the basement with Fez trailing after him, laughing and pointing, Jackie turned to Hyde with grateful eyes.

"Thank you so much, Steven," she said sincerely.

"What? I was just revealing Kelso's true dumbass colours. You know that's my favourite sport."

"You can't fool me, Steven. Spin it how you want, but you just came to my defence," Jackie said stubbornly. "You spoke up for me. That's a pretty rare thing in my life so – thank you."

"Don't mention it," Hyde said, made uncomfortable by the warmth in Jackie's smile. Who was he kidding, 3 months ago he never would have stood up for Jackie like that. When did he start feeling so protective of her?

"So, um – how did meeting Blue go?" Jackie asked.

"Good, then bad, then great, then weird," Hyde answered, realising he now had the alone-time with Jackie he had been hoping for. Hyde outlined some of the events of that night (omitting Blue's derogatory remarks about his age). "…so after we had this sizzling hot kiss, she just bolts from me like a scared rabbit. It's so weird because earlier on she'd acted like the kind of girl who would light her cigarette from a bomb blast, and then she goes all schizo because I tried to take her glasses off! I mean if it was her belt buckle I was reaching for I'd understand, but to take off like that over a pair of glasses!"

Jackie considered Hyde with a smirk. "Watch what stones you throw from your glass house, Steven."

"Hey, I wear _my _glasses because they're cool, not as some kind of shield to hide behind."

"Yeah, you just need to tell yourself that a couple of million more times and one day you might even believe it."

"Whatever, Jackie. Point is, I wouldn't freak out if someone took them off me."

"Really? Good," Jackie said, whipping them off his face before he knew what hit him.

"Give those back," he protested, feeling her mismatched eyes burning through his retinas into his very soul. She laughingly held them away from him, but as her arms were much shorter than his he had soon reached across her to pull them from her grasp. Much like a few days ago, he again found himself in a situation where his face was a hairsbreadth from her face, his body stretched across hers in an arousing position.

"Steven," she said huskily in a voice that sounded strangely familiar. "Are you going to take the glasses or not?" He suddenly realised that his hand had been frozen around her small hand for several pulse-accelerating moments. Quickly he retrieved his glasses and put them on.

"Yeah, you sure are cool as a cucumber without your glasses, Steven," Jackie chuckled. "Tell me, do you sleep with them at night? Or do you wrap them in your security blanket and put them under your pillow?"

"Great, Jackie, your smartass remarks are a big help," Steven grumbled.

"Sorry. My point is, out of everybody on this planet you should know better than anyone why those glasses are so important to Blue."

"Have you ever seen her without them?" Hyde asked. "Hey, she's not cross-eyed or something, is she? Has she got pink eye?"

"Her eyes are limpid pools of beauty," Jackie cried angrily.

"No need to take it personally, Jackie."

"Look, I will tell you this much – you're only chance of getting anywhere with Blue is to respect her boundaries. I think she has some trust issues going on and is afraid of letting herself be vulnerable with you."

"Why with me?"

"You won't understand this yet, but you have the power to hurt her," Jackie said seriously. "Until you give her reason to trust you, to convince her you would not hurt or… or betray her in any way, those glasses will stay on and you mustn't try to get them off her. Oh, and she probably will only meet with you after performances at the clubs she plays."

"Why?"

_Because of the bad lighting_, Jackie thought. "Because it's where she feels safe," Jackie said. "If you can accept those terms, I think I can talk Blue into meeting you again." Jackie shot him a sidelong look. "So, are you interested?"

_This is crazy_, Hyde thought. _No chick is worth this much trouble. Just because kissing Blue was like having mild electric shock therapy…_ "Yeah, I'm in." Hyde surrendered.


	10. Busted!

Chapter 10

_I think this story is starting to come together now. Adding an extra disclaimer in this chapter because Simpsons fanatics will pick up on the line I've borrowed (but if you don't pick up on it let me know and I will tell reveal episode and actor) Plus I paraphrased a line from Seinfeld._

In the six weeks since Jackie had returned to the basement fold, Donna had become aware of a change in her annoying friend. For one thing, she did not spend nearly as much time in the basement as she used to and was completely unavailable Friday and Saturday nights. When questioned about what she was doing with her spare time, she would give evasive answers about dating a musician but would not go into specifics. Considering the play by play Jackie had given about every nauseating detail of her romance with Kelso, this was most uncharacteristic. Whenever anyone asked Jackie a question that touched upon her unknown activities, Jackie would change the subject by saying something like "Oh, you don't want to hear about my boring life. So tell me, what is going on with you?" Now, most of the teenagers in that basement were self-involved enough that this red herring was usually successful, but Donna was too smart not to know that for Jackie to prefer to talk about some else's life instead of hers was wildly suspicious behaviour.

So Donna tried sleepovers, girl-talk phone calls, even luring Jackie into the circle but with no result. At the sleepovers Jackie pretended to fall asleep when the conversation got personal, her voice would suddenly cut out over a convenient bad connection on the phone calls and in the circle, well, Jackie was not very articulate in the circle. All Donna could make out between gusts of hysterical laughter from her was "They don't know I'm here – it would blow Steven's mind if he could see me," (this when Hyde was looking right at her, shaking his head in bemusement).

This was why Donna turned to spying as a last resort. She had suspected Jackie of lying when she told the gang at lunchtime she wouldn't be able to come to the basement that afternoon because of cheerleading practice. A quick check of the cheerleading schedule posted in the lobby confirmed her suspicions. When the final bell rang, Donna lurked near the school gates until Jackie passed through and then followed her friend. It was not long before she had traced her to a lower middle class neighbourhood quite below the status of a Burkhart. With a nervous glance over her shoulder that Donna just managed to dodge, Jackie pulled open the garage roller door of a most unimpressive looking house and quickly closed it behind her.

Donna cautiously approached the house, wondering what was happening on the other side of the door. She jumped a foot in the air when live rock music suddenly blasted from behind it. _Ah ha! _she deduced _This must be where Jackie's new boyfriend rehearses._ Donna reflected it was just like Jackie to keep her boyfriend under wraps because she was ashamed he lived in the poorer section of town. Well, she would show her snobbish friend that the time for secrecy was over. With one strong pull she sent the garage door flying open but was not prepared for the sight that met her eyes – Jackie in the middle of a blazing drum solo.

"Aaaaaaah!" the girls screamed in unison.

"Jackie – what the hell?" Donna gasped.

"Donna! Okay, tell me just what exactly did you see?" Jackie asked cautiously.

"Everything! I can't believe this – since when do you play the drums?"

"Err… the past 6 years?" Jackie answered, her tone rising nervously into a question.

"6 years! I don't believe this! Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Please, Donna – no-one must know about this! If anyone found out, I'd be ruined," Jackie declared dramatically.

"Excuse me, Jackie," Trevor interposed, "but I don't believe you have introduced me to your charmingly foxy friend."

_Great_, Jackie thought, rolling her eyes, _there goes another one_. "Trevor, this is my friend, Donna. Donna, this is Trevor, my _boyfriend_," Jackie stood in front of Trevor and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Damn," Trevor muttered, hamstrung by Jackie's claim.

"Oh, so _you're _Jackie's mysterious boyfriend," Donna said.

"Boyfriend is such an outdated term, don't you think?" Trevor remarked winningly. Jackie smiled sweetly and elbowed him in the stomach. "Ummph! That is to say, Jackie is my own heart's treasure."

"Whatever," Donna said distractedly. "I still can't believe you play the drums! Why the big secret?"

"Why is it a secret? Can't you see it on me, Donna? Can't you smell it?"

"What?" Donna asked, mystified.

"Donna I'm – " Jackie's voice dropped to a horrified whisper "sweating!"

Donna's mouth dropped open in astonishment

"Sweat? Sweat is the reason for all the lying and sneaking around – for six years, no less? Just because you sweat?"

"Yes!" Jackie cried. "Oh, plus my parents would probably send me to a Swiss boarding school if they ever found out," she finished matter-of-factly. "But the main point is Jackie Burkhart does not perspire. I tell you, Donna we have to keep this a secret, not for my sake, but I am so respected it would hurt the _school _if this was known."

Now it was Donna's turn to roll her eyes. "Jackie, I wish I knew a good therapist to help you with your delusions, but I don't think one exists. In fact, I think it would need a team of doctors, a psychiatric think tank working around the clock, all focused on what is the matter with _you_. So I'm not even going to try to convince you that nobody cares if you sweat. All I want to know is are you guys the same band the boys were talking about, the one that's been making waves on the Point Place music scene lately?"

"Donna, the answer is before your eyes," Trevor responded. "If you are referring to That Band with the Hot Chick, then you need look no further than my own love dumpling here to confirm your suspicions." Trevor pulled Jackie into his arms with a saccharine sweet smile, goosing her as payback for her earlier assault.

"Now, don't go getting carried away, Muffinhead," Jackie answered playfully but with a deadly look in her eyes for Trevor.

"Wow! You perform in a rock and roll band in clubs! I can't believe it! No-one will believe this."

"No-one can know," Jackie said urgently. "Look, Donna, I don't perform under my own name. It is crucial that my identity is not compromised. I need your most solemn promise that you won't tell a soul."

"Weeell, OK, but only if you let me sit in on rehearsals," Donna bargained. "To see you play drums – hell, to see you sweat – I'd promise anything for that!"

"I'm glad you said that. Donna, this is a very juicy secret and any girl with the tiniest shred of femininity would find it hard not to blab – even you! So just to safeguard you against temptation, you have to promise to do something horrible and unspeakable if you ever tell."

"Jackie, I won't tell anyone. Unlike you, I can keep a secret," Donna said in annoyance.

"Good. Then you won't mind promising that if you betray my confidence you will…" Jackie thought hard a moment before inspiration hit. "Ha! You will join the cheerleading squad!"

"My God," Donna cried, her face paling at the prospect. "You said horrible and unspeakable, but cheerleading! Dear Lord, no!"

"It's not a problem if you can keep a secret, like you say," Jackie said. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yeah, OK," Donna grudgingly agreed.

"Hey guys," Chip called, walking into the garage with some cold beers. "What did I miss?"

"Just the beginning of rehearsal, as usual," Trevor said snidely.

"I'd better get home before my parents gets worried," Donna said regretfully. Her chance to witness Jackie perspire would have to wait for another day. "Hey, Jackie, don't forget the Foreman's Veteran's Day barbecue is on this Sunday – you should bring your boyfriend."

"Maybe I will," Jackie replied, giving Donna a farewell hug.

Donna turned around as she realised she did not know this neighbourhood. "Oh, how do I get back to Main Street?"

"I'll walk you there," Trevor volunteered, and exited the garage behind the shapely redhead.

"Care for a beer, _Jackie_?" Chip offered with a sly smile.

"Huh? Oh!" Jackie remembered Chip only knew her as Blue. "You must be wondering why Donna called me Jackie – you see, I bear a striking resemblance to Jaclyn Smith off Charlies Angels so – "

"Save it, sweetheart," Chip cut her off. "I know all about your other life, Jackie Burkhart. I also know how important it is to you that no-one finds out about it, especially a certain Steven Hyde."

Jackie turned cold as she saw Chip's tormenting grin. He was enjoying this far too much.

"What do you want?" she said stonily.

"Why, the same thing I've always wanted, sweetness," Chip replied with a look that stripped Jackie naked. "Just to be your boyfriend."

"You can't be – Trevor is!" Jackie protested.

"Yes, I overheard your little arrangement with him. From what I recall, he wasn't exactly jumping for joy at the prospect. Whereas with me, you will get my… mmmm… wholehearted dedication to the role."

Jackie sighed in defeat. "Alright, you can be my cover boyfriend. But it's just an honorary title, you got that? Just when my friends are around."

"Aye aye, Captain Cheerleader," Chip answered with a salute. "So… what time should I pick you up Sunday for this barbecue?"


	11. It's Alright With Me

Chapter 11

Hyde sat on the Forman porch sipping his beer with a contented smile on his face. Eric, who was hanging the red, white and blue decorations for the Veterans Day barbecue, figured that Hyde must have been dipping into his stash early. He would have been amazed to know that a girl was the reason for the smile.

It had been three weeks since that first meeting with Blue. Since then he had been at every one of her gigs, his eyes glued to her dynamic figure as she belted out rock classics on her drums. At the end of each performance, after the main crowd had cleared, she would emerge from backstage to meet him. Those first few assignations after that initial hot kiss, her body language had been nervous, as though she was afraid to get close to him in case he manhandled her again. He took Jackie's advice to heart and tried to show her she could trust him by going slow, making no sudden movements and just talking to her. Blue did not really talk about herself – he did not know much more about her than she had revealed that first night. But they talked about the music she played and the drummers of great rock bands. He found himself opening up to her in a way he never had to anyone. One night he even revealed his own closely guarded secret.

"So, Steven," Blue had said. "If you could play an instrument, which one would it be?"

"Well, actually," Hyde had confessed, "I kind of do play something."

"What? I never knew that," Blue had cried, surprised into a rare moment of emotion.

"Yeah, well, you don't really know me very well," Hyde had said with a quizzical look.

"Uh – I mean, Jackie never told me," Blue recovered. "So – which one is it?"

"Guitar." He had basked in Blue's admiring gaze for a moment, before continuing self-deprecatingly, "I'm not really very good so I don't play in front of people. My friends don't know I can do more than strum a few chords."

"Well, no-one ever starts out as good," Blue encouraged. "It all comes down to practice. Will you play something for me?"

After a show of reluctance, Hyde took the acoustic guitar offered to him and picked out the guitar intro to "Stairway to Heaven". This was a piece he knew like the back of his hand and he played it perfectly. Blue encouraged him to play more of what he knew, so he played her some Eagles and a bit of the easier Hendrix. As he played, Blue tapped out a beat to the music on her knees, which stirred some déjà vu feeling in Hyde he couldn't place. He pushed it to the back of his mind and concentrated on making it through the song without messing up.

When he laid down the guitar, her simple words of praise stole his heart. "You play well," was all she said but they had been enough to have him practising on his guitar three hours every night since then, after everyone was asleep.

He found he was living for those brief moments alone with Blue. His eyes drank in every detail that made her up – the way she twirled those drumsticks in her fingers like a cheerleading baton, the way she twisted her blonde hair around her finger when she was deep in thought and the way an extra swing was added to her walk if a catchy song with a strong beat was played.

All these memories contributed to Hyde's smile, but it was the breakthrough he had with her last night that was the main culprit. He had realised that during their trysts the conversation was mostly about what made him tick.

"The things Jackie has told me about you are so trivial they're useless," Hyde explained.

"Not that useless," Blue replied with a smile. "Thanks again for the donuts, by the way."

"You're welcome. My point is, you know all about me and I think it is only fair you tell me something personal about you. Something real."

"Something real," Blue mused, thinking the request over. They were sitting together in their usual spot on the steps leading up to the stage, their elbows resting on the platform. "Alright, here's something real. I like to dance."

"Do you now? What kind of dancing?"

"Oh, all kinds. Rock, Latin, disco."

"Disco?" Hyde had repeated with a grimace.

"Don't knock it till you try it," Blue had said with her husky laugh. "But what I really love is slow dancing."

"Like waltzing and stuff?" Hyde was surprised at such an old-fashioned preference from such a with-it chick.

"Yeah. Swaying to some classic crooning music… when it's with the right guy… well, it makes my bones melt." Blue had admitted.

"This I've got to see." Hyde had walked over to where the DJ set up was for the nights when the club played recorded music and looked through the collection. He came across a Sinatra album and recognised a song from it that took him back to a rainy Saturday afternoon in the basement when he had somehow been roped into watching some old musical with Jackie. He remembered Jackie sighing over this particular song so he put it on the player. As a slow piano intro tinkled through the speakers, he approached Blue and asked with his best Cary Grant impersonation "May I have this dance?" She had responded with a wide smile and placed her small hand in his. He felt a strange electricity between them as he drew her into his arms and dredged his memory for those dance lessons Mrs Forman had taught him. He found he didn't need too much expertise, after all, as Blue was content to let her head rest against his shoulder and sway to the mournful crooning.

_It's the wrong time_

_And the wrong place_

_Though your face is charming_

_It's the wrong face_

_It's not her face_

_But such a charming face_

_That it's alright with me._

"Is there a hidden message in your choosing this song," Blue had asked in a teasing tone. "You're not thinking of some other girl, are you?"

Unbidden, the thought of Jackie rushed to Hyde's mind. _Where did that come from?_ "No, of course not. I've always kind of liked this song and it was the right tempo – that's all."

"I always liked it too," Blue admitted. "It is so sweet and melancholy.

_It's the wrong game_

_With the wrong chips_

_Though your lips are tempting_

_They're the wrong lips_

_They're not her lips_

_Though they're such tempting lips_

_That it's alright with me._

At the time Sinatra was getting to the subject of lips, Hyde's were hovering over Blue's. She could feel his warm breath against her mouth and met him halfway as his lips descended on hers. Their kiss remained unbroken until the last line of the song.

_That if some night you're free_

_Then it's alright, yes it's alright with me._

The moment was almost perfect. The only thing it needed to make it the best moment of his life was if she were to have taken off her glasses when the kiss ended. Instead, she had slowly parted from him with a dreamy smile, thanked him for the dance and drifted away through the stage door.

"Bone melting, huh?" Hyde muttered to himself. "I see what she means."

"Hey Hyde," Eric called out, interrupting his reverie. "Hope its not too tiring for you watching me do all the work. I mean, I wouldn't want to overload you or anything."

"Forman, in this world there are those who do the work and those who, through their natural superiority, sit by and watch."

"You have definitely been spending too much time with Jackie," Eric condemned. "Speak of the devil…"

Hyde followed Forman's line of vision to see the girl in question walking up the driveway. The smile fell from his face when he saw the good looking guy walking next to her, his arm possessively slung around her shoulders.


	12. Veterans Day

Chapter 12

_A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews and compliments, guys. I love all the feedback. In answer to Amy's question, the Sinatra song in Chapter 11 is from the musical "Can Can" with Frank Sinatra and Shirley Maclaine – I believe it's an old Cole Porter song. Sinatra also does a souped-up swinging version but don't go mistaking that version for the one in my story._

"Well now, do we finally get to meet the guy who has braved fire and brimstone to date you?" Eric asked Jackie jovially.

"Chip, this is Eric," Jackie introduced. "He's one of my friends I was telling you about."

"The moron or the geek?" Chip asked.

"Kind of hard to say," Jackie replied. "It's a really close call."

"_I'm _the moron," Kelso announced, as though offended anyone could mistake another for him. He strode towards the handsome dude with the great hair and his arm around the girl Kelso still pined for.

"Yeah, don't worry, Kelso, no-one's going to debate that," Hyde cut in. Jackie felt a thrill of anticipation at the tension in Steven's features when he looked at Chip, but she hid it under the zen she had recently perfected.

"Hey, Steven. This is Chip."

"So, you two are dating, huh?" Steven asked, sipping his beer.

"Yeah, well, Chip's been after me for a while now so I decided, what the hell."

"That's cool," Hyde replied. Anyone else would have accepted his words as indifference, but Jackie knew Hyde too well to be fooled. Her hopes soared and she quickly ditched Chip to run and find Donna.

"Donna! Donna! You will never believe what happened," she cried excitedly, dragging her friend into a corner. "I turned up here with Chip and introduced him to Steven and Steven was like all 'that's cool' but I could tell he's not cool with it. Donna, I made Steven Hyde jealous!"

"What? Start again? You're here with Chip? What about Trevor? And why do you care if Hyde's jealous if you've already got a boyfriend?"

"Trevor's just my friend, Chip is a blackmailing turd and Steven is my one true love – get with the program, Donna!" She sighed romantically. "It's all coming together."

"You are nuts," Donna declared. "Now if you'll excuse me, Eric and I are engaged in a Veterans Day War. You make sure you end up at my Dad's barbecue, not Red's." So saying, she strode away to find some sparklers to stick in her Dad's hot dogs.

Jackie was just returning to Chip's side for the purpose of flirting with him in front of Steven when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"There's my little Flapjack," Trevor boomed out from behind her. She spun around in amazement to find him beaming at her.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"What? Donna said I should come," he answered in an undertone. "Where is she, anyway?" He looked around eagerly for the hot redhead.

"_I_ never said you should come," Jackie said, her voice raised in anger. She did not notice that she had the attention of everyone at the barbecue. "I'm here with Chip."

Trevor noticed Chip for the first time and gave an exaggerated start. "What? You dare to steal my love away from me?" he cried. "And you, Jackie! Oh what a fickle creature is woman."

With a groan Jackie realised Trevor's unpredictable sense of humour had kicked in. To make matters worse, a sense of mischief was one thing Trevor and Chip had in common.

"Sorry, my friend," Chip said with a grin. "I guess the better man won."

"We'll see about that!" Trevor started to take off his jacket in simulated fury. "You'll take Jackie away from me over my dead body. En guarde!" He raised his fists threateningly.

"Trevor, stop making an ass of yourself and get out of here," Jackie ordered.

"Don't worry, cupcake, I'll handle this," Chip said, raising his fists. He and Trevor had had their share of mock fights fooling around at rehearsals, so he was sure they could carry this off convincingly. "The winner takes Jackie," he announced.

"Deal."

Kelso's face lit up at these words. At last, his chance to win Jackie back!

"Yes! I'm in!" he yelled.

"Huh?" Trevor and Chip said – this wasn't part of the plan.

"Winner gets Jackie – so, should we work this like I fight the loser of you two or should we just all go at it in a free for all?"

"Michael, what do you think you're doing?" Jackie asked shrewishly.

"Stay out of this, Jackie, this doesn't concern you," Kelso answered.

"Aii, wait for me," a foreign accented voice called from behind the ring of spectators that had formed around the three boys. Fez elbowed his way to the front. "If Jackie is the prize, I want to play too!"

"Fez, you don't even know how to fight," Hyde pointed out.

"Do not underestimate the lure of an end to a lifetime of sexual deprivation," Fez said seriously. In truth, the way Fez's eyes were rolling back in his head was giving Chip second thoughts; he was very fond of the way his face was arranged and did not like endangering it.

"Look, this fight is just between Trevor and me," he snapped. "Cretins and foreign perverts need not apply."

"Hey!" Jackie stepped forward indignantly and struck the first blow of the match – right across Chip's cheek. "Don't you dare talk to my friends that way!"

"Crap!" Chip exploded. "Forget this shit. It's not worth having my face slapped just to nail a bitch like you!"

"Oh no," said a voice behind Chip. Suddenly a hand spun him around and before he knew it a fist with the force of a freight train crashed into his jaw. As the evil Chip laid slain at her feet, Jackie raised worshipful eyes to her knight in shining armour, rubbing his bruised knuckles – Steven Hyde.


	13. Secret Squirrel

_Sorry for the delay in posting – there were some technical probs uploading to Fanfiction _

Chapter 13

Hyde did not know which was making him more nervous, the silence that followed his knockout blow or the adoring expression on Jackie's face.

"Stop staring at me," he commanded her. Her rapt gaze continued. "Quit it! I'm not this guy! Oh God."

"Oh, is Hyde fighting for Jackie too?" Fez said uneasily. He looked at the groaning Chip struggling back to consciousness. "I did not know he was competing. Damn it, I am out!"

"What? No, I'm not – "

"Damn, Hyde," Kelso protested as explosively as ever. "So that's why you've been spending all that time with Jackie lately – you were plotting to steal her away from me! I can't believe you dogged me like that!"

"Kelso, I didn't – "

"Oh, leave Steven alone," Mrs Forman interposed, setting down a bowl of Ambrosia salad on the picnic table. "I think it's sweet that he finally has a girlfriend. And such a relief – you know, I was starting to wonder about him," she said with her distinctive laugh.

"Will everybody just shut up!" Hyde burst out. "Jackie is not my girlfriend! I don't even like her - " the hurt look on her face prompted him to finish "- that way."

Luckily for Hyde, Red chose that moment to holler that the hotdogs were ready. As the crowd around Hyde dispersed, favouring food over drama, Eric sidled up to his friend.

"Oh really? Then why did you just punch a guy for insulting her?" Eric asked, grinning at Hyde's discomfort. "Not very zen of you, _Steven_"

"What are you saying, Forman?" Hyde ground out.

"Just that I'm thinkin' you kinda like her."

"No! How could I like her. Because I don't like her! Because I _can't_ like her! Forman, if I like her...shoot me."

Eric draws an imaginary gun on his friend and mimes a gunshot. "POW!" Then, catching the menace on Hyde's face, he scampered off to aid his father in the great Forman-Pinciotti conflict of '77.

During this little by-play between Eric and Hyde, Trevor reached down and pulled the fallen Chip groggily to his feet.

"You OK man?" he asked in a concerned voice that inspired an indignant gasp from Jackie until her old friend winked at her. "Right, just walk a little way over here… now, watch out for that tree over there," - as he walked Chip straight into the sturdy oak tree - "Ow! Man, that's gonna leave a mark. Now whatever you do, don't trip over that thorn bush – damnit Chip, you sure are clumsy today."

Jackie threw Trevor a conspiratorial grin; the Camp Pukawangi oath of loyalty remained unbroken.

Turning back to Jackie, Hyde found himself alone with the cause of all this ruckus. He suddenly had a sense of how Chip must be feeling as the reproachful look in Jackie's eyes hit him right across the chin.

"You don't like me?" she asked in an uncertain sad voice.

"Jackie – c'mon."

"So why did you punch Chip?" Her tone hardened – the cross examination had begun.

Hyde slid a hand through his hair nervously. "I don't know. It was nothing. Just... he said "bitch"...and it was nothing."

"Liar!" Jackie denounced. " You don't punch a guy for nothing – especially not you, Mr Zen. This can only mean one thing – you love me!"

Hyde didn't know what to say. It is not easy to defend your actions when you don't even understand them yourself. Why had he been filled with such fury just because some stranger called Jackie a word that he had been known to apply to her himself? The only way it made sense was if… but no, it was impossible.

He opened his mouth, preparing to put a sledgehammer through her dream castles. What actually came out was "Jackie, get your car, we're going on a freaking date!"

Jackie's face lit up, both shocked and overjoyed. "Oh my god! It's a Veteran's Day miracle!" With a skipping step, she followed Hyde's stormy figure towards her father's Lincoln to commence the historic moment of their first date.

It was much later that day that peace was restored between the houses of Forman and Pinciotti. When it became known that Bob's barbecue was his last big blowout before the closing of his business was announced, Red and Eric sent all the "freeloaders" (as Red would say) over to Bob's barbecue thereby making it more successful than Red's. The young lovers were particularly glad to have harmony restored, and were having their own celebration, smooching on the hood of the Vista Cruiser.

"Time out, Donna," Eric called. "I think my jaw is starting to cramp up."

"Okay," Donna replied, snuggling into his side. "But I'm sending you back into the game in 10 minutes."

"What a day, huh? Not just that barbecue war – which was really all Red's doing, by the way – I mean, I was just following orders – but also what happened with Hyde and Jackie."

"Yeah, I was so mad that I missed that," Donna sighed. "Hyde really punched a guy out for calling Jackie a bitch? That just seems so out of character for him. Applauding, I could understand. Punching, not so much."

"And now they're on a date right this minute." Eric shuddered.

"I know. God knows what evil forces they are unleashing on the universe with their unholy practices."

"Yeah, well I don't think anything will come of it."

"What makes you say that?"

""Cause Hyde has the hots for the drummer chick from that new band." Eric felt Donna's body suddenly go rigid.

"You don't mean… That Band with the Hot Chick?"

"That's the one. You should come with us and hear them play sometime. They're really good."

"But that's impossible! You've seen her? Couldn't you tell – " Donna's remembrance of her promise cut off the rest of her sentence.

"Tell what?"

"Um… nothing. I meant – what does she look like?"

"Well, like I said, she's hot," Eric replied. "And she's blonde. Hard to say exactly what her face looks like as she's always wearing those dark glasses."

"Like Hyde," Donna breathed.

"Yeah, just like Hyde. I tell ya, Blue is a much better match for him than Jackie," Eric chuckled. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Donna had suddenly removed the warmth of her body from Eric's and was breathing quickly in a panicky way. As she realised the utter juiciness of the secret that she now had in her possession, she was finding her powers of confidentiality strained to the limit.

"Oh God, I can't believe this!" At Eric's questioning look, she ordered, "Don't ask me any questions, Eric. All I can say is I'm sitting on a secret bigger than Watergate but I can't tell anyone."

Eric's gossip-loving ears pricked up at the word 'secret'.

"But baby, a loving couple like us don't keep any secrets from each other." He began to kiss her neck as he looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. "C'mon, you can tell your secret squirrel, can't you?"

For a moment Donna was tempted to give in, then her eyes widened as she remembered the penalty for spilling the secret and pushed Eric away so forcefully he fell off the car.

"NO! Eric, I can't tell anyone or the consequences would be… unthinkable." Eric's curiosity was now a raging force. His fox face took on a crafty look as he approached his girlfriend again.

"OK, Donna, let's forget about your secret and go upstairs to my bedroom." He took Donna into his arms and began pecking her lips with slow kisses. "We'll light some candles, put on some Barry White, get all nice and relaxed…"

"Quit it, Eric," Donna said in a hard voice. "You're not going to pillow talk this secret out of me."

"Oh Donna," Eric replied with an amused shake of his head. "Sweet, naive Donna. When have you ever been able to withhold information from me during the post-sex cuddling stage?"

"Damn it, you're right," Donna conceded. "But I really can't tell you this secret. I guess I'll just have to stop having sex with you."

"What!"

"I'm sorry, Eric. You're right, it's like I'm on truth serum after lovemaking. You know I love what we do, but it's not worth me having to dress up in a tiny skirt and skin-tight t-shirt and make an exhibition of myself for the privilege."

"Huh? How did you know… Donna, I swear I just bought that hooker outfit for you in case you were into a little role playing but I can totally get a refund… or perhaps an exchange? I saw this Princess Leia costume…"

Donna rolled her eyes. "No, you pervert. I told… the person whose secret this is that if I blabbed I would join the cheerleading squad."

"You? A cheerleader?" Eric thought about this for a moment. "You know, that would be kind of hot."

"What? Eric! There is no greater symbol of the oppression of women than cheerleaders. They represent everything I stand against and there is no way I am ever putting on the pleated skirt of male bondage."

"Donna, you can't just cut me off like this," Eric pleaded in a panicky voice. "I have needs!"

"I'm sorry, I just can't risk it," Donna said wistfully. As she turned to walk away, Eric gave her his "sexy" look. "Oh God, what have I done?" she cried, running away towards her house.

_A/N Next chapter is the big date, I plomise._


	14. The Big Date

_I'm back! Thanks for all the reviews. This update is slightly earlier than usual – it's probably Wednesday in the US but it's Thursday here in Australia._

Chapter 14

Eric and Donna were not the only young couple in Point Place that night sitting on the hood of a car, although they were probably more at ease with each other than Hyde and Jackie were at that time. Hyde was sitting next to Jackie, shivering in the cold night air because of course she hadn't brought a coat with her and so he had to offer her his. He wondered what the hell he was doing; even if he was his usual chick-free self the notion of dating Jackie Burkhart seemed pretty far fetched. The fact that he was strongly attracted to another girl who he was finally making satisfactory progress with in the making-out department escalated this "date" from far fetched to ludicrous. Why was he risking his relationship with Blue to date Jackie? Bad enough to do that with some anonymous female, but choosing the girl who seemed to be Blue's closest confidant was suicidal. He looked over at the small brunette cuddled underneath his arm which she had wrapped around her, and searched for the right words to let her down easy.

Just then Jackie turned shining eyes towards him and smiled. "So...our first date's almost over."

"Yep."

"What'd you think?" Jackie asked curiously.

_Stop this_, his inner angel urged, trying to shout down the devil on his other shoulder that was prodding him to screw right and wrong and just kiss the hell out of her.

"Jackie," Hyde began.

"Steven, you're shivering," Jackie interrupted in a concerned voice. "Do you want your jacket back?"

"No, I'm fine."

"You can put your arms around me inside the jacket if you like," Jackie offered shyly. "I'll warm you up."

"Jackie, I said I'm fine," Hyde said brusquely, removing his arm from around her shoulders.

"You don't need to be rude about it," Jackie reproved. "You know, Steven, it seems like every time someone offers you any kind of human warmth you brush it off."

"As usual, you make as much sense as a math teacher. I told you, I'm not cold!"

"I'm talking emotional temperature, Steven. I'm talking about letting another person into your icy heart." Jackie took Hyde's hand between her own small hands. "Look, you're probably sitting there thinking, "I'm on this date with this girl who really, really likes me, and she's so beautiful that – "

"Jackie –"

Jackie put her finger to Hyde's lips to silence him. "Shhh... And you're wondering, "How can I open up to her, when everyone I have ever loved have abandoned me. Am I even worthy of love?" Well...you are, Steven. You are."

Hyde's radar started screaming warning sirens as soon as Jackie said "love". He dismissed her summation of himself as just more of her rosy-eyed romantic twaddle and decided to nip this attraction in the bud.

"Jackie, stop it. This isn't a date."

The smile on Jackie's face froze at his words. "What? But you said… back at the house - "

"I know what I said." Hyde ran a hand through his curly hair in frustration. "I didn't mean it. I was confused and people were looking at me – I just wanted to get out of there."

"So why did you take me with you?" Jackie asked incredulously.

"Because if I didn't take you after punching that guy out, people would have thought I was running away or some crap like that. They'd have said I had a thing for you but was too chicken to act on it. I just wanted to get you alone somewhere so we could put this whole schoolgirl crush of yours to rest." Hyde thought his story sounded pretty plausible – he almost believed it himself. Unfortunately, Jackie was not buying it. Her eyes narrowed, a warning sign of the storm to come.

"Schoolgirl crush? You still think of me that way after all the time we've spent together? How can you look at me day after day and never really see me?"

"Don't go pitching that line that I don't really know you," Hyde retorted. "I know more about the facts of life than you ever will, princess. I know you cannot cross a guy like me with a girl like you and get some corny happy ever after. It doesn't work that way." Hyde moderated his tone as he watched her eyes start to tear. "Jackie, I like you a lot better than I did a few months ago. But I just could never be the kind of guy you're looking for. And I think you know I've already found the kind of girl I'm looking for."

"You mean Blue?" Jackie said in a small voice, avoiding his eyes.

"Yeah," Hyde admitted. "Jacks, me and Blue make sense in a way you and I never could. I've never felt about a girl the way I do about her and I don't want to screw it up just because I keep having these crazy feelings…"

Jackie captured his gaze with her sapphire and emerald eyes, pulling him into her very soul like a Star Trek tractor beam. "What kind of feelings, Steven?"

"Just… sometimes… I want to…" Hyde stumbled, his heart beat rising.

"Want to what?" Their heads drew closer, lips parting, breath panting.

"Just…" Suddenly their lips merged into a kiss so hot, so passionate that Hyde became lost in it, like he had wandered into a strange new country without map or compass. Jackie gave herself up to the sweetness tingling through every nerve in her body, the only coherent thought in her mind being _Now he'll know_. How could he fail to recognise that the girl he was kissing tonight was the same girl he had lip-locked at the Club last night? This would be the perfect way to finally reveal the truth to him. It was therefore like having a bucket of cold water dumped over her when he abruptly broke the kiss off.

"What?" she asked, dazed.

"Huh," Hyde said. "Ok, I didn't feel anything."

"Nothing?" Jackie could not believe this. It was like Prince Charming kissing the princess and turning her into a frog.

"No, I mean the kiss was hot, but...well, did you feel something?"

What was she supposed to say to that? That it was the most earth-shattering kiss she had ever received (at least since last night) and have him smirk at her in amused pity?

"No," she answered woodenly. "I didn't feel anything."

"Well, there you go, then. I guess we were meant to be just friends after all." Hyde figured he should get an Oscar nomination for this performance. His head was still spinning from their kiss but he was somehow able to appear unaffected by it. He supposed he had his glasses and years of experience disguising when he was high to thank for that. Even now, his hands itched to cup themselves around her sweet face and finish what he had started. _Stop it, man_ he berated himself. _You can't do this to Blue._

"Yes. Just friends," Jackie agreed, touching her fingertips to where her lips still buzzed. She considered for a moment telling him the truth, that the perfect girl he was dumping her for was none other than herself. But the thought of having her true self rejected in favour of a fantasy tasted bitter to her. Nothing had changed then since chapter 1 of this crazy love story – she still wasn't cool enough to be seen with him. Sure, if he knew the truth she would be elevated to the heights of coolness with him, but she didn't want him to love her because she was 'worthy', but just because she was Jackie; girly, shallow, pink-loving, Donny Osmond obsessed Jackie.

"Well, I guess we should be getting back home, huh?" Hyde suggested. He felt strangely empty but he kept telling himself it was for the best. He had committed himself to Blue and he would not be the kind of low-life heel like Kelso who kissed every girl he was drawn to, no matter how strong the attraction. Jackie handed him back his jacket as she climbed into her car, but even though when he put it on it felt warm from her body heat, he could not repress the small shivers that ran through his body as he drove her home.


	15. Aftermath

Chapter 15

Fez looked around at the five people he had come to think of as his American family. He could not help feeling that they were all behaving rather strangely ever since Veterans Day. Of course, he understood why Kelso was acting as chilly towards Hyde as a wife whose husband forgot her birthday for Kelso had been pretty vocal about what he thought of friends who went on dates with other friends' ex-girlfriends. But why was the air so thick with sexual tension that his instinct was to hit the dirt when anyone used their lighter? The way Eric and Donna were looking at each other – he hadn't seen eyes that tortured with sexual craving since he had looked in the mirror this morning. Even more mystifying was the way Jackie and Hyde would look at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. They had come back from their date with the verdict that there was nothing but friendship between them, but if that was friendship peering out of their hungry eyes, well he wouldn't mind being that kind of "friend" to Jackie.

All in all, the mood in the basement that afternoon was much more volatile than watching an episode of "I Dream of Jeannie" usually inspires, but Fez was not going to be the one to break the ice. Only a complete idiot would try and stir up the unspoken issues surrounding them.

"You know what's so great about this show," Kelso spoke up on cue. "The way Major Healey never tries to steal Jeannie away from Tony. Even though she's all hot and stuff, and could like blink him all the popsicles and nudie magazines he wants, he never goes after her because only a really BAD friend would do such a thing, Hyde!"

"What are you talking about, my handsome hombre?" Fez asked. "Just last week Roger tried to trick Major Nelson into signing over his mastership of Jeannie."

"Well, yeah, Fez, but don't forget it didn't work and he ended up hanging over a crocodile pit for trying it on. 'Cause that's what should happen to guys who try and steal their best friend's girl. Right, Hyde?"

Hyde gave a long-suffering sigh. "Kelso, I could repeat for the hundredth time that (a) I did not steal your girl and (b) you no longer have a girl unless you're counting Laurie which would be like saying a taxi cab that everyone rides in is your own personal car. But rather than go into all that again, I think it would be more fun for all of us if I point out to Jackie and Donna that you compared Jackie to a television character who, when you look past the G rating sugar-coating, is really an Arabian sex slave."

"God, Michael, you are such a sleaze," Jackie exploded, kicking him in the shin.

"Kelso, you dill-hole," Donna yelled, slapping him upside the head. "It's guys like you that are responsible for what those poor women in Saudi Arabia go through."

"Oh Donna, I hadn't even thought of that," Jackie said. "They have to walk around in ugly black robes, covering up every sexy feature. And you know those hoods are totally flattening their hair. It's just too horrible to think about." Jackie turned accusing eyes Kelso-ward. "Is that how you think of women, Michael? Is that what you want from me?"

Kelso started to inch away from the two angry females that were boxing him in on the sofa. "Um… you know I would love to debate this issue but… what's that over there?" As Jackie and Donna followed the direction of his pointing finger he threw himself over the side of the couch, scrambled frantically to his feet and tore out the basement door.

After Kelso's escape, the remaining five teenagers turned back to the television. After 5 minutes, Eric said "Is it just me or does this show seem particularly stupid all of a sudden?"

"Maybe we need Kelso watching this with us so the collective IQ is low enough for it to seem good," Donna mused.

"Oh, so now you regret running him off? Well, your remorse comes too late," Fez declared angrily. "Good day!"

"But Fez…"

"I said good day!" he retorted with a dismissive hand gesture and then stormed out to find his friend and suggest dropping balloons filled with pudding from the freeway overpass.

"So, just the four of us, huh?" Donna said nervously. Her eyes accidentally locked with Eric's which were giving her that look that said in his mind he was doing unholy and delicious things to her. She swallowed and looked away but then her eyes fell on Jackie and Hyde which just reminded her that on top of the sexual pressure was secret-keeping pressure. She started to search the basement desperately for someone else to look at but there was no-one and the pressure was building and building until she could hear the blood pounding in her brain until…

"Oh God, Eric," she cried, lunging at him so violently he fell beneath her weight.

"Donna, you have to be more careful with Eric," Jackie remonstrated, turning a disgusted eye away from the slobberfest happening on the carpet. "You know Mrs Forman will be very upset if you break him."

"Eric, I think we should go to your room and do that… current affairs report," Donna panted, ignoring Jackie.

"What? I thought we were going to… Oh, the _report_!" Eric caught on. "Yeah, sure, I can think of an affair we should get all…um… current on."

"Forman, you really suck at double entendres," Hyde remarked.

"And yet I am the one with a girlfriend to drag me to my bedroom," Eric smirked as Donna took a death-grip on his arm. "Later, guys."

This was how Hyde found himself awkwardly paired with Jackie, whom he had not been alone with since Veterans Day. He noticed she did not seem exactly nonchalant herself, judging from the nervous way she was twisting a strand of her long dark tresses around her finger. Hyde frowned at the sight, reaching for a memory that remained just out of his grasp.

"So… how have you been?" Hyde asked uncertainly.

"Fine," Jackie replied, her tone uninviting.

"I haven't seen you around here much," Hyde ventured. This was Jackie's first basement visit in the three days since V day. Her absence had not been the refreshing change Hyde would have expected. It was almost like he had missed her or something.

"I'm surprised you noticed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hyde retorted, getting pissed off by her bitchy manner.

"Well, since I'm usually invisible to you when I'm standing right in front of you, it's pretty amazing you noticed I wasn't here."

"Oh, poor Jackie, always overlooked," Hyde mocked. "God, I wish I could ignore you. If they ever market a pill to block out your shrill voice, I'll be camping out overnight at the store on the release day."

"Oh yeah?" Jackie cried furiously. "Well, while you're at that store you should… pick up some hair straightening gel 'cause curly hair is … stupid."

"Oh, go easy on me, Jackie," Hyde said, rolling his eyes. "If only scientists could harness the power in your burns they'd be able to toast bread – lightly."

"You know, I've got better things to do with my time than waste it on a burnout like you," Jackie said, rising to her feet.

"Yeah, right, why hang out here when you could be spending time with your fake boyfriend – gotta keep that imaginary romance alive, right?"

"You can talk! You think you know what's real – how about your fake girlfriend?"

Hyde's body stilled and Jackie realised she had said too much.

"What do you mean by that?" he said in a hard voice.

"Nothing," she replied, retreating to the door. "Just another one of my weak burns."

Hyde's frown remained long after Jackie left. For a girl who burned at the power of a watch battery, she could certainly say things to tear up his peace of mind. And, damn it, why did he start feeling lonely as soon as she left?

Meanwhile, upstairs in Eric's bedroom, 5 minutes after 'the Deed'…

"Jackie is WHO?" Eric yelled.


	16. Can he keep a secret?

_A.N.OK, all I hear these days is when is Hyde going to take off the blinkers and finally get it – well, just bear with me for two more chapters and I promise I will make the wait worth it. Thanks again for all the reviews and please keep them coming._

Chapter 16

"Sshh, Eric! Keep your voice down," Donna hushed.

"You've gotta be kidding me! It's not possible! Blue and Jackie are as different as day and night. They're like opposites of each other!"

"Or the other half of each other," Donna mused. "What amazes me is that Jackie has been playing drums for 6 years and no-one ever knew – not even her parents! Can you imagine that? It makes me wonder how well you can really know a person."

"Well, you know that old saying – still waters run deep."

"That would make Jackie the Mariana Trench."

"Okay, you know I spend geography trying to figure out if Mr Masterson's hair is a toupee or not, so I'm just taking your word for it that is a particularly deep spot." As a thought occurred to Eric, he shot up from his reclining position in shock. "Donna! Hyde is falling for Blue!"

"You're just realising that now?"

"But he doesn't know Blue is Jackie! And he hates Jackie! Hyde is falling for the girl he hates!" Eric shook his head in disbelief. "No further evidence is required to prove that Jackie is in alliance with dark and powerful forces."

"Yeah, well, I've never bought that Hyde hates Jackie. I mean he talks the talk, but all she has to do is turn on the waterworks and he folds like a cheap road map."

A grin grew across Eric's face. "Holy crap – Hyde is sweet on his sworn enemy and he doesn't even know it. That's it, I'm nominating this the best burn in the history of the basement's burns."

"I'll second that nomination," Donna agreed. "Now remember, Eric, no one can know this secret."

"Well, of course not. Then Hyde would find out and our fun would be over. Oh, I'm looking forward to watching the zenmaster squirm."

"No, dumbass! No one can know because then Jackie would know I told her secret and I'd have to become a cheerleader."

"That's not so bad," Eric said slowly as he fantasized Donna doing a cheer spelling out "Eric is a love machine". Donna turned his face towards her by a hard grip on his chin so that startled green eyes looked into forceful green eyes.

"Eric, I swear if I become a cheerleader you will pay for every single humiliating minute of it. This is my promise to you."

"Hey, my word is like oak, Donna. Stronger than oak – it's titanium steel. It's a gingsu knife. If someone put a gun to my head I'd tell them to pull the trigger and stop wasting my time, OK? Secret squirrel?" Donna judged she had scared him sufficiently and released his chin.

"Alright then," she conceded. She heaved a great sigh of relief. "Oh man, it is such a relief to finally tell someone this secret. Honest, it was just eating me away inside to have information this incredible and not be able to tell anyone." She leaned over and kissed Eric's cheek. "I feel so much better now," she said as she snuggled down in Eric's bed and closed her eyes peacefully. But Eric's eyes remained wide open and his face took on a strained expression as though he felt the weight of Jackie's secret transfer from Donna to himself.

The next day the gang were once again hanging out in the basement. Donna had coaxed a reluctant Jackie to join them in spite of yesterday's spat with Hyde, promising Jackie would not have to stay long and then the two girls would leave for a jamming session at Trevor's. The girls were giggling and whispering to each other on the couch, which was increasingly upsetting to Fez who hated to be left out of girl talk.

Kelso and Hyde were watching TV – or at least Kelso was and Hyde was pretending to, trying to block out Jackie's presence from the corner of his eye, her whispering voice from his ears. He couldn't understand why every little thing she did and said today just seemed so… hypnotic. He couldn't even accuse her of trying to get his attention, as she had said hardly two words to him when she came in and had since been huddled with Donna, not throwing him a single look. A glance over at Forman made him think that maybe it wasn't just him who felt the pull, judging from the way Eric was staring at Jackie like he'd never seen her before.

"What are you looking at, Forman?" he finally asked in irritation.

Eric jumped. "What? I wasn't – I don't know anything!"

"Well, that's a given," burned Jackie. An appreciative chuckle escaped from Hyde. For the first time that day Jackie looked at him and they shared an evil smirk at Eric's expense.

If they found burning sweet, Eric found revenge even sweeter. "So Hyde, when are you planning on hooking up with Blue again? Her band's playing tomorrow night, isn't it?" Eric took pleasure in the startled jerk Jackie gave.

"Yeah, I thought I'd drop by tomorrow night. Haven't seen her since last Saturday."

"Must be tough only getting to see her when her band is playing," Eric said. "I wonder what she gets up to during the week?" He turned to Jackie with a devilish grin. "Hey, I bet Jackie would know. You know, them being so _close _and all."

"Donna, we have to leave for the mall now," Jackie said in a loud voice, jumping to her feet and pulling her friend with her. "You're makeover won't wait a minute longer."

"I resent that and let's go," Donna replied, shooting a warning glare at Eric. But Eric was on a roll and not ready to stop yet. Plus he figured if he could trick Jackie into revealing her secret, it would let him off the hook about keeping it.

"Oh, you two are off to the mall?" Eric said, knowing where they were really headed. "Hey, I can give you a lift if you like."

Jackie eyed Eric with surprise. "Let me get this straight. You are actually offering me helpful assistance in the form of transport, the sort of thing one friend would do for another?"

"Sure," Eric answered with a knowing grin. "Is there a problem with that? You _are _going to the mall, aren't you?"

Jackie studied Eric thoughtfully, her eyes flitting to Donna's anxious face and then back to Eric. She came to a decision.

"Alright, Eric. Let's go." Now it was Eric's turn to look surprised as Jackie picked up his car keys and tossed them to him. "But I know Donna wants to walk there to burn off the calories from that milkshake she wolfed down at lunch so I'll meet you there, OK Donna?" Donna frowned at Jackie but agreed, figuring this was Jackie's way of sending Donna to the rehearsal to let the band know Jackie would be delayed.

Eric followed Jackie to the Vista Cruiser, wondering why she had accepted his offer. He was starting to feel a little nervous when Jackie ordered him coldly to "Get in!". If she had added a "Dumbass" it would have been a perfect impression of Red at his most disgruntled.

Once they were both enclosed in the car, she turned her angry blue-green eyes on him.

"She told you!"


	17. A Shoulder to Cry On

Chapter 17

Eric jumped guiltily. "What? No, she didn't!" he blurted.

"Oh, come on, Eric! You offering to do _me _a favour? In what bizarro universe would that ever happen?"

Eric took a hold of himself. This was Jackie, after all, the girl so gullible she had actually believed Michael Kelso was capable of being faithful. He could handle her. With a smug smirk he looked her over.

"Gee, Jackie, you know I'd love to talk this through with you but I just can't seem to _drum_ up any interest. Now don't get _blue_ about it, I'm still here for you - one of a _band_ of brothers, so to speak."

Jackie's hands curled into a fists. Taking a deep breath, she said "Eric, do you know what Donna has to do if she tells anyone my secret?"

"Yeah, but she's not gonna find out that I told you because if she does, then I'll go to Hyde and tell all. Ha! Check and mate, baby!" Eric positively oozed smugness as he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked at Jackie. "You know, I'm betting you don't want Hyde to know a lot more than I want to keep my lack of discretion from Donna. In fact, this kind of information should be good for some favours from you." Eric looked over his new personal slave speculatively. "Tell you what, you wash my car for me today – in a bikini – and that'll be good for say three hours of keeping this juicy little secret from Hyde."

"Gee Eric, I guess you've really got me cornered," Jackie said in a deceptively mild voice. "The only way I could get back the advantage is if Steven finds out the truth. It's too bad I wasn't planning on telling him tomorrow night… oh wait, I was!"

Eric's face fell comically as he saw his bargaining chip swept away before his eyes. "You were? Well… well… this whole thing certainly blew up in my face!"

Jackie couldn't help laughing at Eric's vehemence as he acknowledged his own stupidity. It was just so funny how he said it like he was mad at her but his words put the blame on himself. At first Eric gawked at her unexpected reaction, until her laughter prompted a reluctant grin from himself.

"Eric, you are a giant geeky pain in the butt most times, but I've always admired the way you can laugh at yourself," Jackie admitted.

"Yeah, well, I guess for a tactless embodiment of evil, you aren't all bad," Eric returned. "I've gotta ask you, how the hell did you pull this off?"

"What exactly?"

"This whole con! Pretending to be someone totally different than who you are! And the way you've fooled Hyde – I've gotta hand it to you, Jackie, that is the burniest burn in the history of burns."

"Shut up, Eric! I didn't do all this to burn Steven," Jackie said, the worried crease returning to her forehead as she remembered her dilemma. "All I wanted to do was play the drums. Everything else just… snowballed."

"So making Hyde pant after your secret identity wasn't part of the plan?"

"I never meant for that to happen but I guess when it did… Oh, Eric, you don't understand the temptation of it. Steven hurt my feelings when he rejected me – how could I pass up the chance to pay him back for that?"

"What, you came onto Hyde?" Eric asked in surprise. "When did that happen?"

"After Michael and I broke up. He was so sweet to me, teaching me zen and letting me hang out… but when I started letting on that I liked him he told me I wasn't cool enough to be seen with."

"Ouch."

"I know. So then he shows up at the club and he's looking at me as Blue the way I so wanted him to look at me as Jackie and I was both drawn to him and angry at him at the same time. I mean, God, he's such a hypocrite, saying he could never like me that way. I kept waiting for him to see who I really am but instead he falls for an act that I copied from him. He fell for himself, Eric! And he says I'm conceited!"

"So… you kept meeting with him to punish him?"

"No! I never thought he'd see me again after the put down I gave him. You should have heard it, Eric – I told him he was too immature and uncool for me!"

"No way," Eric said, breaking into laughter. He was amazed at Jackie's nerve, serving Hyde such a slam. Maybe there _was _a lot more to her than the shallow princess façade she showed everybody.

"Oh yes. I figured that would settle the score and stop him coming around and blowing my cover. But then he…" Jackie blushed as she remembered what came next.

"Ooh, what did he do?" Eric asked with girlish curiosity.

"He kissed me," Jackie said on a sigh. "After that, it was pointless to deny I was attracted to him. Plus it was so good to see a side of Steven that isn't all snarky and sarcastic. And when I was Blue he would look at me like he thought I was something special... Each time we met after gigs, I kept thinking 'this time he'll see who I really am'. But he never did. Why didn't he see me, Eric?" Jackie asked piteously, turning suddenly tearful eyes on her best enemy.

"I don't know, Jackie," he answered. "I guess people see what they expect to see. You know, I was there for some of those performances – your band really kicks ass, by the way – and I never suspected for a moment that you and Blue were the same person. I mean, the thought that you would ever do something so badass as drumming – I'd sooner expect to find out Kelso was moonlighting as a brain surgeon! Damn, Jackie, why didn't you ever tell us? Have you any idea how much your street credit would have gone up in the basement if we'd known?"

"I once asked my parents if I could get a drum set – I didn't tell them I knew how to use it, of course," Jackie explained, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "They said that girls who played the drums were all trashy sluts and no daughter of theirs would ever do such a thing. So I got into the habit of keeping my playing a dirty secret. Not to mention the way you guys talked about rock band chicks as easy bimbos didn't exactly ease my fears. I figured if you guys ever knew what I could do, you'd think I was as skanky as Laurie."

"Come on, Jackie, we'd never think that," Eric reassured. "Nobody's as skanky as Laurie."

Jackie gave a shaky laugh. "That's true."

Eric put a sympathetic arm around Jackie and she unthinkingly rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for a minute, Jackie drawing comfort from him, when Eric asked "So are you really telling Hyde tomorrow night?"

"Yeah."

"Look, you don't have to tell him on my account. I won't tell anyone your secret, I swear." Jackie looked into Eric's face and saw the sincerity in his eyes. She smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Eric, but I can't keep this charade going any longer. After the way he rejected me on our Veteran's Day date, I realise that he'll never care about me the way that I.. I.." To Eric's horror Jackie's tears rushed back in full flood. "Oh Eric, I just love him so much."

"You do?" Eric said dumbly as Jackie turned her face into his polyester shirt and watered it with her tears. Tentatively he wrapped his arms around her, willing to try anything to halt the monsoon happening on his shoulder.

"Yes," she sobbed brokenly. "I thought we were getting closer to each other as Steven and Jackie and so when he found out the truth it would be a lovely surprise for him but now – oh Eric, I think he's going to be so disappointed. He won't want me included in the whole "Blue" package."

"There now Jackie," Eric soothed. "Hyde will be way too mad at you to be disappointed."

"Mad?" Jackie cried, her head popping up from Eric's shoulder. "Why would he be mad?"

"Well, you kind of played him for a sap. If it was anyone else he could maybe shrug it off but for the zenmaster to be so royally burned by the girl who can't even burn a marshmallow – now, that's gonna smart."

"Oh my God, I hadn't even thought of that," Jackie said in dismay. "He's going to kill me!"

Eric nodded in agreement. "There could be some carnage, yes. But I'm sure he'll get over it – in time." Eric thought about this statement. "a few months, perhaps – maybe a year. Hey, I'm sure by the time we move into the eighties he'll be speaking to you again."

"You know, you really suck at consolation, Eric," Jackie said shrewishly.

"I'm kidding," Eric responded, rolling his eyes. "I just said that to get you back to your normal fire-breathing self. Everything's gonna be fine, I promise."

"Okay," Jackie said in a subdued voice. She returned to the comfort of Eric's embrace for a final hug. "Thanks for listening, Eric. You're a good friend."

"No problem," Eric said. "Let's just add our friendship to your dirty little secrets list."

Jackie chuckled. "Deal."

"So, am I driving you to this rehearsal thing or what?" Eric asked, turning the key in the Vista Cruiser's ignition.

As the car rolled out of the driveway, neither Eric nor Jackie noticed the dark skinned young man in skin tight slacks staring at them through the sliding door. If she had seen the horrified yet titillated expression on Fez's face, Jackie would have had an even greater reason for apprehension.

_Stay tuned for next week – the moment you've all been waiting for._


	18. Eureka

Chapter 18

_Hey, I'm back! Here's the moment you've been waiting for – hope it meets your expectations._

Hyde frowned in annoyance as he heard Fez descending the wooden stairs of the basement with great haste and volume. He held up a silencing hand before Fez could unload whatever tidbit had his eyes bugging out of his head.

"Fez, shut the hell up. We've been sticking with this Agatha Christie movie for the last two hours waiting for this moment and we don't need it drowned out by whatever new candy catastrophe has you all a-twitter."

"I'm with Hyde on this one, buddy," Kelso agreed. "I can't wait to find out who killed the old rich guy. The little French detective just had his Eureka moment so any moment he'll be getting the suspects together and laying down the law."

"Ooh, this is a Hercule Poirot mystery," Fez said, his twenty second attention span easily diverted. "I like seeing a foreigner telling all those stuck-up Brits what to do. Make fun of my accent? Well, you can just laugh it off in prison, limey bastard!"

"What part of don't talk do you dillholes not understand?" Hyde said in exasperation.

"Relax, it's gone to commercial," Kelso soothed.

"So what is the Eureka moment?" Fez asked Kelso.

"Oh, that's the moment when the dumb sidekick says something completely irrelevant that makes all the little details of the case come together so Poirot has like this blinding moment of clarity and he knows who the villain is," Kelso explained.

"Do not speak to me of villains," Fez moaned, remembering the terrible sight that had brought him to the basement. "There can be no greater villain that Eric, that treacherous casanova!"

"Forman's a casanova? Did you hit your head recently, Fez?" Hyde quizzed.

"Everyone knows it was my turn to win Jackie," Fez complained. "Eric wasn't supposed to be a contender. He already has a girlfriend, damn it. Why are you Americans so greedy?"

Hyde and Kelso looked at each other blankly and then turned to Fez. "What?" they shouted, unified in horror.

"Have you not been listening? Eric and Jackie are lovers!"

"Aaaah, don't ever say that," Kelso cried. "The mental image makes my brain bleed."

"Fez, where the hell did you ever come up with such a whackadoodle notion?" Hyde interrogated, his interest in the movie completely forgotten.

"From the witness of my own traumatised eyes! I just saw them making out in Eric's car."

"Oh my God," Kelso shrieked. "How could he do this to me? He knew Jackie was just about to come back to me. I can't believe he would pull such a slimy move – damn it, I never should have taught him my ways!"

"Calm down, Michelle," Hyde said. "There's no way Fez has got the story straight. Eric and Jackie? Come on, those two hate each other."

"Oh Hyde, my innocent friend," Kelso said pityingly. "I think it's time we had 'the talk'. You see, when a boy and a girl are always burning each other and act like they can't stand each other, that's just a cover-up for a volcano of sexual attraction." Hyde looked at Kelso in disbelief. "What? Don't you ever watch romantic comedies?"

Hyde turned away from his moronic friend towards… well, his other moronic friend. "Okay, Fez, what exactly did you see?"

"Jackie and Eric in each other's arms. It looked like she was planting a hickey on his neck." Fez sighed sadly. "Oh, what I would give to have her sweet little teeth gnaw a hematoma onto me."

Kelso started pacing, gesticulating wildly as he spoke. "This all makes sense now! I thought it was weird Eric offering Jackie a ride. And did you see the way she sent Donna off so that she and Eric could be alone?"

"I can't believe this," Hyde said, but he said it with less conviction than before.

"Open your eyes, Hyde! You yourself said that Eric was looking at Jackie funny. Now we know why."

Hyde was starting to feel nauseous as he remembered the feeling he had had lately that Jackie was keeping a secret from the group. Wouldn't an affair with her best friend's boyfriend explain her suspicious behaviour over the last few months?

…………………………………………

After Jackie had entered Trevor's garage, Eric had spent an hour and a half hanging outside the open garage window, enjoying the music and marvelling at who was making it. But when he heard Donna's voice saying she had to get going, he was spooked, remembering that it would be better for his life expectancy if she did not find him there. Little did he know that returning to the basement was not the soft option he had thought.

"Hey guys, what's on the box?" Eric said cheerfully as he strode through the basement door. He was taken aback by the accusing looks that came his way. "What's up?"

"That's a good question, Eric," Kelso said loudly, lacing his hands behind his back. "What exactly is up?"

Eric turned to Hyde with a look that said 'what's got him going this time' only to be confronted with his friend's deadly serious face.

"Where have you been, Forman?" he asked quietly.

The vibe in the basement was bringing out Eric's twitchiness. "You know where. I was just giving Jackie a ride."

"Oh yeah? And did you use the Vista Cruiser or your own scrawny body to give Jackie "a ride" you cheating son of a bitch!" Fez stormed.

"Oh man," Eric said in amazement. "Look, I don't know what kind of circle you guys were having but wherever you got the stash, you should get a refund because you're all having some really crazy paranoid delusions."

"We haven't been smoking, Forman," Hyde said. "You say you just gave Jackie a ride in your car."

"That's right," Eric said.

"And you went straight to the mall?"

Eric's left eyelid started to twitch. "Ye…yeah," he stuttered.

"You're lying," Hyde exploded. "What the hell did you do with Jackie, Forman!" Poor Eric was frozen to the spot in terror; he had seen Hyde angry before but never like this. As Hyde grabbed him by his shirt-front, Eric babbled "No, Hyde! You've got it all wrong. There's nothing going on between me and Jackie."

"Then how come Fez saw you two necking in your car in the driveway?"

"What?" Eric choked. "Hyde, loosen the grip man. Can't… breathe…"

"Spill it, Forman," Hyde demanded. "What are you hiding?"

_This is it, _Eric thought to himself, _the moment of truth. Keep my word to Donna or get torn apart by my three best friends. I guess I just have to ask myself, who am I more afraid of? _As if in warning, an image of his girlfriend popped into his mind, naked except for the barbed wire surrounding all her fun parts. _Hell, bones heal and chicks dig scars._

"Alright, yes, I am hiding something but I can't tell you what it is," Eric confessed. "Donna has sworn me to secrecy and the penalty for blabbing is pretty dire. But I did not nor would I ever in this galaxy or one far, far away neck with Jackie."

Eric's expression of disgust at the concept was too genuine not to make Hyde have doubts about the charges against him. "So what did Fez see?" he asked, but with less fire.

"Jackie was crying on my shoulder, you moron," Eric shouted at Fez. "I was just trying to comfort her to make her stop."

"Ah ha, he confessed," Kelso cried triumphantly. "Everyone knows the way you comfort a girl is to do it with her."

Ignoring Kelso, Hyde examined the water stain on Eric's shoulder. "Wait guys, he's telling the truth." Eric heaved a sigh of relief as Hyde released him from his death grip.

"You're not buying that, are you?" Kelso said. "He could have spit on his shoulder as a clever decoy." Everyone just looked at him. "What? It could happen."

"Kelso, give it up. The whole idea of Eric and Jackie – what were we thinking?"

"Alright, he's pretty handy with the explanations, I'll give him that," Kelso replied. "But how does he explain putting that Bowie record on last Wednesday, just when Jackie was walking past?"

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb. You know that whenever a song with a real catchy beat is played Jackie's hips go swinging like a kid on monkey bars. Gives her walk a touch of Marilyn Monroe, if you know what I mean."

"What did you say?" Hyde asked in a strange voice. But he could not hear the reply as the noise in the basement sounded like wind rushing in his ears. A hundred fragments were suddenly pulled together into one clear picture.

Blue's hips swaying to Suffragette City

Jackie's voice: "You think you know me, but you don't."

Blue twirling her hair around her finger at the club

"If I don't get my luscious strawberry delight hair treatment soon..."

The smell of strawberries in Blue's hair as he kissed her

"I like to dance…" Blue said, "…disco."

"How about your fake girlfriend?" Jackie baited.

Blue twirling drumsticks the same way he had seen Jackie practice with a baton

"Blue and I actually have a lot in common."

That kiss…

"Hyde! Hyde! Are you alright?" Eric shouted into his ear, breaking through his coma of shock. Hyde sunk to his knees, white-faced, and croaked out one word.

"Eureka."


	19. Devil's Advocate

_A.N. Okay, for all you reviewers who keep begging for longer chapters, here you go. Also, I have borrowed a song from Coldplay for this story – probably breaking all sorts of copyright, but I've seen it done in other fanfics plus I could not write anything a quarter as good as my favourite band. The song makes most sense if Chapter 14 is fresh in your mind. So here goes and thanks again for all the write-ups._

Chapter 19

"Quick, someone get him a drink of water," Eric shouted, helping his friend to stand.

"Screw that – we need a six pack of beer stat!" Kelso yelled urgently.

"Kelso," Hyde said, breathing heavily as he tried to draw air into his lungs, "you know everything about Jackie, right?"

"Are you kidding? I am the grand authority on all things Jackie. I'm like the Merv Griffin of Jackie trivia."

"What's her favourite flower?"

"Pink roses," Kelso replied.

"And her favourite donut?"

"Chocolate with yellow sprinkles."

"And – oh God – what tree would she be if she was a tree?"

"A birch. She says their trunks are very slimming."

"It's her," Hyde breathed.

Eric's eyes widened into saucers as he realised the revelation that had just hit Hyde. In high excitement, he yelled "I didn't tell him! If Donna asks, I never told him that Jackie is Blue."

"Jackie is Blue!" cried Kelso and Fez. "Blue the hot chick drummer?"

"Oh crap."

"How long have you known, Forman?" Hyde asked. Eric was dismayed to find the angry accusation had crept back into his voice. Learning from recent events, he widened the distance between himself and Hyde. "How long have you been laughing at me behind my back?"

"Donna told me yesterday. I haven't been laughing for more than 24 hours, I swear." When Hyde took off his sunglasses to reveal the fury coiling inside of him, Eric wished he had rephrased his reply.

Hyde stalked Eric into a corner until he was trapped. "Forman, you had better answer this next question right or it will be the last thing you hear in this lifetime. Where is Jackie now?"

"At rehearsal," Eric squeaked.

……………………………………………………….

Hyde peeled out of the Forman driveway leaving a trail of burnt rubber tire treads for Red to grill him about later. As soon as Eric had gabbled the address of the place of rehearsal, he had left the basement, not sticking around to watch Kelso and Fez marvel at this late breaking news. Each time a new detail occurred to him that pointed to the truth, he pounded the steering wheel with his fist.

Never in his life had he felt like such a fool. It was like every burn he had ever put out into the universe had come back at him in some huge karmic barbecue. He knew he would never live this down and his anger at Jackie for doing this to him was only matched by his sense of betrayal with Blue. Just like his mother, she had wormed her way into his heart with sweet lies for the pleasure of breaking it. Even yet he had trouble thinking of Blue and Jackie as the same person.

He screeched to a stop outside of Trevor's house. From behind the garage roller door he could hear a guitar playing. With a face set like judgment day, he yanked open the door to confront his betrayer – only to find the skinny kid who had started that ridiculous fight on Veterans Day.

"Where's Jackie?"

Trevor sized Hyde up; he had known all along this moment would come. Judging from the menace in Hyde's manner, it was a good thing Jackie had caught a ride home with Dave ten minutes ago.

"You just missed her," Trevor answered. "Steven Hyde, right?"

"Yeah," Hyde said, passing a frustrated hand through his hair as he surveyed the garage, as though expecting Jackie to be concealed behind the paint cans. "Wait, what do you know about me?"

"Are you kidding? You're Jackie's favourite topic; Oh, Steven danced with me last night so romantically,'" Trevor mimicked in a Jackie-falsetto.

"Sounds to me like you've been in on her scam from the beginning," Hyde growled. Most people lacking Trevor's muscle would have become pretty fearful at this point, but Trevor was unfazed. There was even a touch of hostility in his voice as he replied,

"You could say that. I mean, I did talk her into the whole secret identity thing, and I did give her some tips on how to keep up the act with you so you didn't screw up everything the band has been working for." Trevor picked up his guitar and began tuning it, as though he found it more worthy of attention than Hyde. "Of course, I don't think either of us could have guessed this ruse would play out for so long. I mean, come on, Man! Her disguise wasn't that good – how could you not know who she was?"

Hyde was taken aback to find the offensive turned towards him. "Hey! How the hell was I supposed to know? Blue was nothing like Jackie." But even as he said it he knew it wasn't true. There had been so many similarities, so many slip-ups, not to mention the way his body would react to both girls the same way. How ironic that his penis was actually smarter than his brain.

Trevor looked up from his guitar, his usual larrikin humour absent from his eyes. "If you really believe that, then you've got nothing to be mad about. If you couldn't see past the packaging, then she couldn't have meant that much to you. Better that you end this thing with Jackie now; she's got enough people in her life who only care about how she looks, not who she is."

"What's that supposed to mean," Hyde asked, but with less attitude than before.

"I've known that kid since we were 10 and I've never met anyone more convinced that what showed on the surface was all there was to life. I used to tease her about it, you know – called her a stuck-up princess, that kind of thing – but when she would let slip stories about her parents" Trevor's face twisted as though he tasted something bad, "I kind of got how she had come to think that way. And I felt sorry for her having to grow up like that."

"You felt sorry for Jackie? The richest girl in Point Place? I don't know what kind of line she's been feeding you, but Jackie's always boasting about her folks to the rest of us. I can't count the number of times she's bragged about the car her daddy's gonna buy her or all the credit accounts her mom opened in her name at the mall. I should be so lucky to grow up with "bad" parents like that."

"Yeah, sounds great. Tell me, have you ever heard Jackie talk about something good her parents did for her that didn't involve giving her money?"

"Well… no," Hyde said, thinking back. "But she did say her dad works long hours and so can't spend as much time with her as he'd like."

"Like I said, appearance is everything to her. She's not gonna say that her parents are selfish flakes who have never been there for her a day in her life."

"How do you know all this if she's never said anything?"

"Unlike you, I can read between the lines," Trevor replied. "Like the way she was blown away when my dad taught her how to play the drums. She just couldn't get over a father figure actually spending time teaching something to her. Or how whenever time would get away from us and we'd play late into the night, she never once said "My parents are going to kill me". What kind of parents don't care where their kid is at night?"

"Well, mine never did," Hyde said gruffly. "Maybe her parents didn't pay as much attention as they should, but it's better than having an alcoholic whore of a mother."

"Ah, I take it you've never met Pam Burkhart."

"Really?" Hyde's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean…" he made a drinking gesture.

"And then some."

"Wow, I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't. Jackie's the daughter of a member of the town council and an ambitious socialite. It's been drummed into her from infancy that she must behave herself to fit their image and not spill anything that would tarnish their precious reputations. You may have had it rough, Hyde, but at least you had the freedom to gripe about it. Jackie couldn't even do that or she'd lose the only positive thing her parents would throw her way – their approval. No substitute for love, but a kid will take what she can get. That's why the drums have been a salvation for her. All that resentment at her parents she's been stuffing down inside of her all her life finally had an outlet. It's also what kept her coming back here, even though it was in direct opposition to her life's purpose of keeping up appearances."

Hyde felt an alien emotion overtake him. It took him a moment to recognise it but was annoyed to find that it was guilt. Guilt that he never saw what Jackie was going through, even though out of everyone in that basement he was the most qualified to recognise it. But this wasn't fair – Jackie had tricked him, he wasn't the one who should be feeling bad about it.

"Look, I'm sorry for the poor little rich girl and all but that's no excuse for what she did to me!"

"And what exactly did she do to you?" Trevor asked coolly.

"She made a fool of me, Man," Hyde cried, reclaiming his grievance. "She lured me in with her rocking ways and fake zen and once she had me all sewn up in her little spider's web she tells Donna and Eric about it so they can all laugh their asses off behind my back."

"Actually, Donna found out on her own and I'm guessing she was the one who told Eric. She followed Blue here after school one day and, I can tell you, Blue was not happy to be discovered. Her determination to keep this part of her life a secret is pretty much an obsession for her. I think you'll have to acquit her of doing this for the purpose of bringing you down. This really wasn't about you at all."

"Oh yeah? Then why did Blue come onto me? If she wanted to keep it a secret, she should have sent me packing from the start."

"And didn't she?" Trevor asked quizzically. "I remember Jackie telling me about that night; I was very proud of her for not breaking character and giving the game away. But she told me that she gave you a pretty brutal set down so you'd keep away from her. Something about turning your own words against you."

"My own words…" Hyde suddenly remembered how Blue had dissed him that night; _"You're, like, a 'burb. A white bread. You're just too square for me."_ Reluctantly, a grin spread across his face as he realised how neatly Jackie had turned the tables on him for calling her a square at the Hub two months ago. "Well, what do you know?"

"Well, I guess you can remember what came after that," Trevor remarked with a knowing grin. "According to Jackie, the earth stood still and the stars exploded in the heavens."

"She always did have an overly romantic vocabulary," Hyde said, remembering his first kiss with Blue. Still, he couldn't disagree with her assessment.

"Look Man," Trevor said seriously, levelling with Hyde, "Jackie hid the truth from you firstly to protect the band – cause if management or her parents ever found out about her, we'd lose our drummer – but then it was to protect herself because she thought you would drop her if you knew who she really was. But then these last couple of weeks, something shifted for her. Lately she'd come back from being with you all irritated that you still hadn't seen through her disguise. And let me tell you, it's a pretty major thing for Jackie Burkhart to want someone to look under the surface and know who she really is. Then there was Veterans Day – she never told me exactly what went down between you two, but from the way she's been pounding murder on the drums this week I'm guessing it wasn't good."

"Yeah," Hyde said, not meeting Trevor's eyes as he remembered how he had lied to her about their kiss. He had told himself he was doing the right thing, staying loyal to Blue, but now he realised it was fear that had held him back. He had a choice between a girl who would enhance his reputation and a girl who would detract from it and he had taken the easy way out, ignoring his instincts and his heart. It came home to him that Jackie was not the one who had made a fool of him – that had been a do it yourself project.

Trevor observed the chastened Steven Hyde and gave a satisfied nod that he had plead Jackie's case well. Perhaps it was time to throw him a bone of hope and help his old friend in the bargain. He stood up and started fiddling with the makeshift stereo system, rewinding a tape recording back to zero.

"I guess I really can't complain too much about the fact that you broke my friend's heart," he said cheerfully, "seeing as how her song writing always improves when she's feeling down. Take this song she wrote a couple of days ago, for instance. Now, you'll have to give me some licence with this number - I know a back-up tape is no match for the real thing, but it will give you an idea." So saying, Trevor pressed play on the tape deck, accompanying the taped back-up keyboard and drums with his guitar. Hyde listened spell bound as Trevor sang Jackie's heart out:-

_So I looked in your direction,  
But you paid me no attention, do you.  
I know you don't listen to me.  
'cause you say you see straight through me, don't you._

On and on from the moment I wake,  
To the moment I sleep,  
I'll be there by your side,  
Just you try and stop me,  
I'll be waiting in line,  
Just to see if you care.

Did you want me to change?  
But I change for good.  
And I want you to know.  
But you always get your way,  
I wanted to say,

Don't you Shiver, Shiver, Shiver  
I'll always be waiting for you,  


_So you know how much I need ya,  
But you never even see me, do you?  
And is this my final chance of getting through?  
On and on from the moment I wake  
To the moment I sleep,  
I'll be there by your side,  
Just you try and stop me,  
I'll be waiting in line,  
Just to see if you care._

Did you want me to change?  
But I change for good.  
And I want you to know.  
But you always get your way,  
I wanted to say,

Don't you Shiver, Shiver, Shiver  
I'll always be waiting for you,

And it's you I see, but you don't see me.  
And it's you I hear, so loud and so clear.  
I sing it loud and clear.  
And I'll always be waiting for you.  


"Not bad, hey?" Trevor observed to a dumbstruck Hyde. "I'm thinking it's the sort of song that won't make a break away radio hit but will always be a secret favourite of the fans."

"Jackie wrote that?" Hyde asked in awe. The words of the song had been simple, but her frustration and sadness had rung through them with the clarity of a crystal bell.

"Sure did. It'll be much better when we find a new bass player," Trevor said, his mind slipping back into its usual music obsession groove.

"What, I thought you had one – that slimeball I knocked out last week, wasn't it?"

"Well, there's no way I'm gonna have a guy on my band who calls my friend a bitch to her face," Trevor stated. "My cousin is subbing for us this weekend but I'll have to get the word out on the circuit that we're looking for a bass."

"You know, I may be able to help you out there…" Hyde said thoughtfully.

_Next week will be all Hyde and Jackie – and my favourite chapter, by the way. Thanks for all the good wishes and I assure you I am healing nicely._


	20. Jackie Blue

_A.N. Nearing the end now – just one more chapter after this one. Thanks for all the positive feedback – I love it._

Chapter 20

Jackie picked up her foundation powder brush slowly. It seemed to have been fashioned out of lead tonight, so heavy did it weigh in her hand. Usually when she began the transformation from Jackie to Blue she took pride in her consummate make-up skills that were so powerful they had duped the people who knew her best. Yet tonight the face powder felt smothering on her youthful skin, the blue eyeshadow seemed garish and the blonde wig felt like it was pushing her neck into her shoulders. This disguise that had once been her escape had become a prison.

"So, you ready to rock, kiddo?" Trevor announced, swaggering into the dressing room. He caught her expression. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything." Jackie shook her head at Trevor's reflection in her mirror. "I'm telling him tonight, Trev."

"Who? Hyde? Why the sudden desire for confession, Blue? If you've had enough of the guy, you could just send him packing without giving the game away."

"I owe him the truth," Jackie said simply. "Even if it costs me his friendship."

"Suit yourself."

"Besides, I am getting so damn sick of all this pretending," Jackie added, tossing down her mascara so violently it bounced onto the floor. "I mean, it was all fun and kind of dangerous in the beginning but now it just feels like lying. No, it's worse – I feel like I have to hide who I am to count for anything. That is so twisted; I'm Jackie freaking Burkhart, damn it. I am perfect just as I am and if some people can't see that then they should just get their stupid sunglasses cleaned."

"Hey, you're preaching to the choir here, sister," Trevor said placatingly. "Now come out front with me – I want to run through a sound check before they open the doors to the admiring public."

Jackie followed Trevor to the stage, surprised that Dave and Trevor's cousin, Vince, were not awaiting them there. "Hey, where are the guys? Dave never skips the warm-up."

"I told them I'd just spotted Joe Perry pigging out at Fatso burger," a familiar voice said from behind her. "I didn't think they'd buy it but I guess I underestimated the true Aerosmith fan's ability to believe what they want to believe when it comes to autograph hunting."

Jackie whipped around to find Steven Hyde slouching towards her, his mouth twisted upwards in a half-smirk. _No_, she howled internally, _I'm not ready for this._

"Hello, Blue," Hyde said. His glasses concealed most excellently the way his eyes were drinking in her slight form, taking in every detail from her dainty platform-shoed feet to the winsome manner that her mouth fell open in surprise and dismay at his unexpected appearance. That's it, he'd have to make his next pair of glasses prescription lenses because he must be half-blind not to have seen this girl for who she was.

"St-Steven," Jackie stuttered, trying to lower her voice into the 'Blue' register. "I thought we were meeting after the gig."

"I know," Hyde responded, commandeering her manicured fingers in his large warm hand. "But there's something I have to talk to you about that can't wait."

His serious tone sent alarm bells off through Jackie's guilty conscience. Did he suspect? Had he guessed?

"I… I've got something important to tell you, too," Jackie said shakily. She looked around and realised Trevor had slunk away, leaving them alone.

"OK, but mind if I go first?" Jackie nodded her head in bemusement. "This is really hard for me to say, Blue. Let me start by saying that I think you are one of the coolest chicks I've ever met. I couldn't have designed a girl more in synch with me if I'd drawn up the specs and lodged zoning approval with the city council myself."

"Steven," Jackie interrupted in a misery of guilt. Oh no, he was going to be heart-broken when he found out.

"Blue, let me finish. Like I said, on paper you and I are perfect for each other and you'd expect that to be enough, but…"

"But?" Jackie repeated, suddenly wary. When a boy starts off saying how great you are and then throws a 'but' in there, that kind of sentence never ends well for the girl.

"Damn it, there's just no easy way for me to say this," Hyde admitted remorsefully. "Blue, I'm so sorry but I've been lying to myself and to you. The truth is, I'm sort of crazy about another girl."

"WHAT!" Jackie yelled, a tidal wave of molten fury washing over her. "ANOTHER GIRL? You – you no-good, cheating… THREE-TIMER!" Throwing zen out the window along with her temper, Jackie launched herself at Hyde in a flurry of flying fists and kicking feet. With admirable deftness, Hyde anticipated the attack and feinted slightly to the left so that the wronged female landed squarely over his right shoulder. Anchoring her flailing legs down with one arm, Hyde patiently suffered the tattoo she was beating on his back as he tried to reach her with words.

"Now, I can sense that you're upset," he began, a cougar-like yowl being her response to this understatement, "but maybe you'll understand why I couldn't really help myself when I tell you about this girl. I mean, it's not like I saw her coming. Matter of fact, she's the last girl in the world I ever would have thought I'd hook up with. Not that there's anything wrong with her, it's just on the surface we're such total opposites. I've always been one to take the path of least resistance, so taking up with some chick who thinks the formation of the Bee Gees was the turning point of western civilization seemed too much like hard work. But there's something about this girl…" Hyde shook his head in wonderment as Blue continued to struggle in his hold like a deep sea marlin, "…no matter how many times I told myself we didn't make any sense together, I just couldn't keep away from her. I'd let her coax me, or bribe me, hell I even let her blackmail me into hanging out with her, always feeding anyone who'd listen the same cock and bull story that I couldn't stand her. Hoping they wouldn't notice the way my eyes would follow her around the room. Hoping they wouldn't pick up on the way our minds run in the same groove, the way we would finish each other's burns. But now the old dodges just aren't working and I can't hide out from the truth anymore. There's no denying that I am fair smitten with this girl. Blue, I'm in deep smit."

Jackie drew a harsh breath into her lungs, pausing in her assault to respond. "What the hell do you want from me, you lying bastard? Go and be with whatever half-witted skank is dumb enough to fall for you – see if I care!"

"Ah, but there you have put your finger on the very crux of my dilemma, my wise little friend," Hyde said mournfully. "I don't know that she has fallen for me. I thought at one time that she had, but after the way I lied to her and told her I didn't feel anything – "

The thrashing spitfire on Hyde's shoulder suddenly went rigid at these words, to Hyde's deep satisfaction. After a moment of silence broken only by Blue's heavy breathing, she said in a small voice, "When… when did you tell her that?"

"Just after we kissed," Hyde answered, his grip on Blue's hips gentling to more of a caress than a stranglehold. "You see, I felt like I was kind of committed to you and if I told her the truth – that it was the hottest, most bone-melting kiss I'd ever had – then that would make me a weak-willed weasel, just like her last boyfriend and I figured she deserves better than that."

Jackie felt like Steven had taken her breath away – she was not sure if it was his words or the way his shoulder was cutting off her oxygen supply, probably a bit of both. There could be no doubt the girl he was talking about was herself – the classic Jackie, original formula, accept no substitutes. But he did not yet realise that the unattainable goddess he yearned for was currently gasping for breath against his spinal column. How would he react when all was revealed?

"Um… Steven," she said tentatively. "Could you please let me down now? I'm getting kind of dizzy."

"Oh, sure," he said, slowly lowering her feet towards the ground in a manner that ground her soft young body painstakingly against his, which finished off Jackie's attempt to string a confession together. Suddenly he slapped a hand against his forehead in a moment of enlightenment. "I've got it!" he cried. "This girl I lo – I mean, this chick I'm hot for," he corrected himself self-consciously, " …she loves music! And she's always had this dopey notion that the man of her dreams would sing a song to her."

"Really? You would sing of your love to her?" Jackie breathed, her face lit up at the thought.

"God, no," Hyde laughed, shuddering at the notion. As her face fell, he hastened to explain "That kind of thing only works if you can actually sing. Believe me, I have seen what happens when you attempt that manoeuvre without talent," he said, as both their memories turned to Kelso's serenade, "and it ain't pretty."

"So what would you do?" Jackie asked curiously, seemingly unaware that Hyde's palms were warming her upper arms, that her body stood no more than a whisper away from his.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe something like this. Hit it, Trevor!"

Through the amplifiers set up around the stage, a guitar intro instantly twanged through, the prelude to that old 1974 classic of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils:-

_ooh-hoo, jackie blue_

_lives her life from inside of a room_

_hides that smile when she's wearin' a frown_

_ooh jackie, you're not so down_

At first Jackie frowned as she recognised the song. This wasn't the theme from Love Story. It wasn't even Olivia Newton John or Carly Simon. In fact, there was nothing in the least romantic about the lyrics, it was just a song about some depressed shut-in called… Jackie…Blue…

_you like your life in a free-form style_

_you'll take an inch but you'd love a mile_

_there never seems to be quite enough_

_floating around to fill your lovin' cup_

Hyde grinned at Jackie's slack-jawed amazement, taking advantage of her shock to pull her into his arms so they once again swayed slowly together to their own beat.

_ooh-hoo, jackie blue_

_what's a game, girl, if you never lose_

_ask a winner and you'll prob'bly find_

_ooh jackie, they've lost at sometime_

"How did you know?" Jackie asked in a whisper against Hyde's shoulder.

Hyde's response was to tighten his arms around her delicate frame. "I think I always knew," he answered gruffly. "It just took some time for my brain to catch up with my heart."

"Oh, Steven!"

_ooh-hoo, jackie blue_

_likes a dream that can never come true_

_making love is like siftin' through sand_

_ooh jackie, it slips through your hand_

It had been like that with Michael – love was like a fantastic dream but whenever she would try to hold onto it, it would sift through her fingers like sand. As she felt the heat of Hyde's skin through his thin cotton T-shirt, the solid reality of him throbbed through her and she knew this time there was more to love than fading dreams. This was real.

_ooh-hoo, jackie blue_

_lives her life from inside of a room_

_makes you think that her life is a drag_

_ooh jackie, what fun you have had_

Hyde cupped Jackie's chin with his hand so that the two pairs of shaded eyes were levelled at each other. With his index finger, he caressed the bridge of her glasses as he said "You know, someone once told me that until you learn to trust me not to hurt you or let you down, you'd keep wearing those glasses. And I couldn't argue with that, because I was kind of in the same boat," Hyde gestured towards his own eye-wear. "So here's the deal – I'll show you mine if you show me yours." A tender smile formed on Jackie's lips as she slowly raised a hand towards her glasses, in time with Hyde's hand reaching for his. With the slow anticipation of a strip-tease, sapphire-emerald eyes were revealed to summer-sky blue eyes.

"My God," Hyde exclaimed. "They _are _limpid pools of beauty!" Jackie laughed and slapped his forearm. "Hey, you can laugh but I can't tell you the nightmares I've had where you turned out to be cross-eyed. Or had one glass eye that's always looking the other way from your good eye." Jackie continued to slap him for each joke. "Hey! Abusive wench! I've had enough of your beatings. I should have spanked you when I had you in the right position."

"You played me, you rat," Jackie said, trying to sound mad but the joy kept welling up inside her and ruined the effect. "I should have worn my steel tipped boots, then you'd have something to complain about."

"Consider it payment in full for the weeks you've been playing me," Hyde returned with a meaningful look. Jackie tried to look innocent.

"It was all for the good of the band, Steven," she assured him. He continued to give her the look. "Well, maybe a teensy-weensy part was for me," she admitted. "But you _so_ had it coming."

With a most un-zen-like shout of laughter, Hyde finally gave into the urge that had been pestering him for the last half hour and pulled her into a heated, heart-racing kiss. Just at the point when desire was robbing them both of the ability to remain upright and they were about to lower themselves onto the floor, Trevor, Dave and Vince bounded onto the stage.

"Break it up, you crazy kids," Trevor admonished the young lovers. "The doors are opening in two minutes. Jackie, get your butt up on that drum stool now!"

"Yes sir, drill sergeant, sir!" Jackie answered, reluctantly separating herself from Hyde.

"Way to kill the mood, Trevor," Hyde complained.

"Sorry, Hyde, but it's like I told you, it's all about the music, man."

"You two guys have gotten pretty chummy on such a short acquaintance," Jackie remarked as she picked up her drumsticks.

"Yeah, well, I was looking for you last night and found this string bean instead," Hyde explained. "Then he pretty much talked my ear off. No big mystery what you two have in common."

"Hey! Is that how you found out, Steven? Trevor, did you tell Steven my secret?"

"Are you kidding me? Do you think I would endanger Don Henley's life like that? Have you forgotten what happened last August when I broke my promise and let slip the story about exactly how Dave lost his virginity?"

"C'mon now, Trevor," Jackie cajoled. "That was pure coincidence. I'm sure Elvis' death had a lot more to do with the fried peanut-butter sandwiches than with you breaking that silly oath."

"I don't want to talk about it," Trevor said, his voice rising an octave in distress. He drew in a deep breath. "Okay, my band of brothers – and sister. Let's bring it on!"


	21. Finally

_Here it is – the final chapter! Thank you to all those who reviewed. I've really enjoyed writing this story because it gave me a chance to write something a bit more light-hearted than usual, going back to the pre-soap-opera spirit of the early seasons. Long live the comedy!_

Chapter 21

"Hurry up, you guys," Kelso urged, "they've already started."

Fez, Eric and Donna joined their excited friend along with many other music lovers in the long line snaking from the club's entrance. Fez's enthusiasm was a perfect match for Kelso's, however Donna and Eric did not appear to have caught their vibe.

"Excuse me, my good man," Kelso addressed the bouncer in a deep voice, "I don't like to pull rank, but we are close, personal friends of one of the band."

"Yes, we are," Fez agreed, "except we didn't know it until today."

"And they weren't supposed to know it on any day," Donna growled under her breath.

"Geez, Donna, how long are you going to hold this against me?" Eric groaned.

"Oh, it's much too early to give a ball park figure on that one, Big Mouth," Donna retorted. "As far as grudges go, we are only in the larval stage of this one. Ask me again when it's had some time to grow legs."

"Donna, I think you are losing sight of what is important here," Kelso remonstrated with the smouldering redhead. "That is, we have to go in there, find Hyde and burn him over this whole Jackie/Blue thing until he has reached the texture of beef jerky."

Eric turned to Donna. "He does make a good point."

Donna considered this, shrugged her shoulders and then dazzled the bouncer with a seductive smile and flash of bra strap which soon had all four teens ushered through the sacred portal.

The mood in the club was electric, with the band throwing down a mixture of soft rock, hard rock and those good old classics that make you turn to the stranger next to you and say "I love this song!" As the foursome came into view of the stage, they marvelled afresh that the girl who had annoyed, browbeaten and chattered at them for months on end was the same saucy blonde babe casting some kind of tribal spell over the audience with her mastery of the drumsticks. So mesmerising was her allure that they lost sight of their prime objective, until Fez accidentally bumped into Hyde while jostling for a better view of Jackie.

"Hyde! Look guys, it's Hyde!" Fez announced. "Now Hyde, don't get confused. It's me, Fez. And this is Donna, and that weedy guy over there is Eric."

"Yeah, I know who you all are, Fez," Hyde answered.

Kelso could not hold back his delighted grin. "Just trying to help you out, man. We know how you sometimes have trouble recognising your closest friends, especially in rock clubs. BURN!"

Hyde's contented smile did not slip for a moment as he contemplated his friends. "Nice one, Kelso. You been working on that long?"

"Oh yeah, me and Fez have been brainstorming all afternoon. That's what's known as a tandem burn. Hey, Eric, you're up."

"OK, I got one," Eric said, squaring up to Hyde. "Hey, Hyde – it's a good thing your fro never loses its shape. Now you won't have to worry about getting helmet hair when you spend the next month wearing the stupid helmet!"

Hyde considered Eric's burn. "Nah, Fez and Kelso's was better. Your focus on hair styling was a bit too effeminate for a good burn." His friends stared at him, thrown off by his unflappable good humour. "How about you, Donna? You've always been the brains of this group – after me. I'm expecting something a bit more cerebral from you – the thinking man's burn."

Kelso's face fell ludicrously as he voiced the obvious. "Damn it, Hyde! When someone burns you, have the decency to get pissed off about it! All this…not caring and… contentment – you make me sick!"

Donna peered closely into Hyde's beaming face and read the story written there. "Oh my God, you're happy! I don't think I've ever seen this before. I mean, I've seen you taunting, and I've seen you mocking, and I've seen you sardonic but I don't think I've ever seen you happy."

"Well, not without the aid of certain substances," Eric amended.

"Hey, I can take a burn, Forman, but you start calling me happy and I will open up a can of Red Forman on your ass," Hyde threatened, managing to wipe the grin off his face for a record 5 seconds. But then he caught sight of Jackie wielding her wooden servants in a blistering, machine gun-like burst of notes across the snares and crash cymbals and the menace melted off his face. Eric followed his gaze and came to the correct conclusion.

"Awww, it looks like Steven's decided a 2 for 1 deal isn't so bad," he teased, but secretly the soft spot that he had recently developed for Jackie was happy for her.

"Good. That'll be some consolation for poor Jackie," Kelso said. "Now she won't be too heartbroken that I won't take her back." Kelso mistook his friends' expressions of disbelief at his capacity for self-delusion. "Come on! You know I can't be with a girl who is sneakier than I am! It would destroy the whole basis of our relationship."

"That basis being where you cheat on her with every slut in reach 'cause she's too naive to catch on?" Hyde clarified.

"Exactly. That arrangement's not gonna work now I've seen how good she is at deception. I tell you, she's gotten too complicated for me."

"Kelso, the children's placemat puzzles at Fatso Burger are too complicated for you," Hyde responded.

"Hey, those placemats are… _impossible_," Kelso objected with his usual explosive style. "Anyhow, I guess I'll have to downgrade our relationship to just friends."

"Fine, just don't go saying her name too loud – she's still undercover."

"I'm not an idiot, Hyde." Just then Jackie completed a thrilling drum solo, prompting Kelso to catcall loudly, "Woohooo! Go, Jackie – I mean, Blue!" Hyde frogged his arm in punishment, prompting Kelso to try and make up for his gaff. "That is, go drummer chick who I've never met before in my life." He wiped the back of his hand across his brow. "Phew! Almost dropped the ball on that one," he murmured to Fez.

As the song ended, Trevor addressed the movers and groovers around him. "Alright, Point Place, here's a song from the Piano Man himself, dedicated to all you badass boys and girls who like to keep secrets." He gestured to Dave, who gentled the frenetic mood of the club with a slow piano intro, but then the song shifted straight from first gear to fourth as Trevor broke in with some kickass guitar work. Stepping up to the mike, he sang out:-

_Well we all have a face  
That we hide away forever  
And we take them out and show ourselves  
When everyone has gone  
Some are satin some are steel  
Some are silk and some are leather  
They're the faces of the stranger  
But we love to try them on_

_  
Well, we all fall in love  
But we disregard the danger  
Though we share so many secrets  
There are some we never tell  
Why were you so surprised  
That you never saw the stranger  
Did you ever let your lover see  
The stranger in yourself?  
_

_Don't be afraid to try again  
Everyone goes south  
Every now and then  
You've done it, why can't someone else?  
You should know by now  
You've been there yourself  
_

Jackie and Hyde grinned at each other in silent agreement that the best burn of the evening would have to go to Trevor for his song selection. Then inspiration hit Jackie as to a fitting climax for the song, and she threw a wink at her new officially designated boyfriend just before she reached a hand up to grasp the forehair of her wig.

_  
You may never understand  
How the stranger is inspired  
But she isn't always evil  
And she is not always wrong  
Though you drown in good intentions  
You will never quench the fire  
You'll give in to your desire  
When the stranger comes along._

A collective gasp swept the club as the Hot Chick drummer tore off her blonde wig and cap and threw them into the crowd, shortly followed by her shades. With a sexy hair flick honed from hours of watching Charlie's Angels, she unleashed her raven tresses to the hot-blooded approval of every male present. Her final drum solo was the only noise loud enough to rival the shout of approval that rose up from the masses.

As the set ended with this song, Hyde, Eric, Donna, Kelso, Fez and Trevor rushed to Jackie to form a protective barrier around her to shield her from the fans. There was little doubt regarding Hyde and Jackie's new understanding as she threw herself into his eager arms.

"Oh baby, that was awesome," he panted in between the desperate kisses they shared. "But what happened to all the secrecy? I thought your parents would come down hard on you if it got out who you are."

"Yeah, well, I figure if they have a problem having a drummer for a daughter maybe I'll start having a problem having embezzlers for parents. Like if the town council were to find out that the only fact they found out in their last "fact-finding mission" to Aruba was how to make the perfect Harvey Wallbanger, things could get kind of sticky for them."

Hyde stared at Jackie in amazement. "You'd really blackmail your own parents to get your way?" An admiring smile grew on his face. "You're really coming along!" The next time Jackie came up for air from their latest breathless kiss, Trevor observed, "Well, judging from the audience response, I don't think management are going to get too inquisitive about your real age. Might start cutting into their profit margins if they did."

"It's like I always told you guys," Jackie said smugly. "It's all about popularity and money!"

"Hey, does this mean I don't have to pretend you're not Jackie when you're not you?" Kelso asked hopefully. "Because that was starting to get real confusing,"

"Yeah, but you did manage to play along at least 5 whole minutes before you slipped up," Donna reassured the handsome doofus. "At least you did better than Eric."

"What does she mean?" Jackie asked Hyde.

"Oh, she's referring to Eric spilling the beans about your little Wonder Woman deal to Kelso and Fez," Hyde explained.

"Eric!" Jackie cried reproachfully. "What the hell?"

"It was an accident!" he defended himself against the two female stares directed at him. "Everyone knows if there's a wrong thing to say, you can count on me to say it." Eric suddenly pointed an accusing finger at his girlfriend. "You know this about me, Donna! You knew that when you told me. When it all comes down to it, this is all your fault."

As Jackie's cool stare turned towards her best friend, Donna nervously pasted on her face a conciliatory smile. "Hey, let's not play the blame game here," she cajoled. "Look at how well everything turned out! You and Hyde are in – well, I guess some people would call it love, like those anthropologists who spy on remote African villages. And now you've found the courage to do without your disguise so it doesn't really matter who knows now. All's well that ends well, right? Am I right?" Donna's nerves were not allayed by the conspiratorial smirk Jackie and Hyde shared.

"Donna," Jackie said, walking towards her friend and taking her hands between her own. "You don't have to be guilty or nervous. As your friend I will always be there for you – to teach you how to do handstands, and forward rolls, and the best way to get the creases in your pleated skirt extra crisp. Oh Donna," Jackie enthused, clapping her hands excitedly, "it's going to be so much fun to have you on the cheerleading squad."

Donna's look of dismay was in comical juxtaposition to Fez and Kelso's expressions of delight. "Donna will be a hot cheerleader and Jackie will be a sexy musician? It is like my private fantasies are coming true!" Fez said gleefully.

Kelso nodded in full agreement. "Although it's sort of like the wires have gotten crossed along the way," he added. "I mean, can you imagine Donna as a cheerleader?" There was a moment of silence at the thought before all five of her closest friends sputtered out guffaws of laughter at the notion.

"Hey, if Jackie can be a drummer I sure as hell can handle freaking cheerleading," Donna asserted angrily. "Dillholes," she muttered as their hilarity doubled in volume.

"Guys, guys, let's break it up," Trevor interrupted, glancing at his watch. "Time for the final set."

"Sure, man. Hey, you want to join us after the gig?" Eric invited. "We were thinking we'd grab some pizza."

"Only if that's alright with Blue here," Trevor said with a half-smile at Jackie. "We've always had an understanding that our association was strictly hush-hush. You know, what with me knowing about her special skills and all."

"Oh Trevor," Jackie said, turning towards her oldest friend with softened eyes. "It wasn't because you knew about the drumming that I never told anyone about our friendship. It's just that you were the first person who ever really got me and I kind of wanted to keep you to myself, sort of like a feel-good secret to make me smile when I was down. You know?"

Trevor smiled back widely and stepped into Jackie's open arms for a hug. "Yeah, I know what you mean, kiddo," he said gently. "But I think it's time you extended the Meet-the-Real-Jackie-Burkhart-Secret-Society to include a few more members – Beulah."

"Ohmigod!" Donna cried. "That's why you call her Blue, isn't it? It's short for Beulah!"

"OK, it's music time, people," Jackie declared, shooing her friends off the stage and forestalling further questions. "Come on, we've got a show to finish!"

"So, Hyde," Eric said, as they watched the band work its way through the final songs, "Looks like you've got one unusual girlfriend there."

"I guess you could say that," Hyde answered, his eyes fixed on the lady in question.

"Yep, she sure is a bundle of surprises," Eric continued. "Me, I like a bit more predictability. I don't think I could handle it if I found out Donna had a secret life. I mean, how do you deal with something like that?"

"It's like the old saying goes, Forman," Hyde said with his trademark smirk. "You've got to fight fire with fire."

"Right," Eric agreed, but then thought about what Hyde said. "Alright, I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"And now, for our final number," Trevor shouted into the microphone, "I'd like to call up the newest member of our band who will soon become a permanent fixture – Steven Hyde!"

As Hyde stepped onto the stage and took the bass guitar offered by Vince, he didn't know which was more gratifying, the gaping stares of his friends or the blank amazement on his girlfriend's face. Praying that his playing would go as smoothly as it did last night when he practiced with Trevor, he picked up Dave's cue and came into the song seamlessly.

_Ridin' down the highway__  
__Goin' to a show__  
__Stop in all the byways__  
__Playin' rock 'n' roll__  
__Gettin' robbed__  
__Gettin' stoned__  
__Gettin' beat up__  
__Broken boned__  
__Gettin' had__  
__Gettin' took__  
__I tell you folks__  
__It's harder than it looks _

_It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll_

As Donna watched Hyde, who she had only ever seen use a guitar as a prop to appear cool, she pinched her boyfriend's arm to get his attention. When he turned to her, his face as astounded as her own, she shouted into his ear "Who the hell are these friends of ours? What are they, like pod people or something?"

"Don't ask me," Eric yelled back. "I'm just his best friend. It's not like I'm supposed to know him or anything."

_Hotel motel  
Make you wanna cry  
Lady do the hard sell  
Know the reason why  
Gettin' old  
Gettin' grey  
Gettin' ripped off  
Under-paid  
Gettin' sold  
Second hand  
That's how it goes  
Playin' in a band_

_It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll  
_

The song ended to tumultuous applause and no sooner did Hyde set down the guitar than his arms were full of his animated girlfriend, bubbling over with questions.

"Steven, how could you not tell me about this?" she demanded indignantly, slapping his chest for daring to keep such a secret from her.

"Hey, you've got to count on a bit of mystery if you want to get together with a guy like me," Hyde warned her, smoothing his hands over her shapely body. "I told you from the start, baby – ambiguity; that's what zen is all about."

_Oh, and in case there's anybody reading this story who has lived under a music-deprived rock for the last 30 years, the two songs in this fic are The Stranger by Billy Joel and A Long Way to the Top by ACDC_


End file.
